West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of spreading communal hatred and failing to protect the country's border. She alleged that families affected by recent violence in Murshidabad were being prevented by the saffron camp from meeting her. Banerjee also criticized the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for its visit to Murshidabad and questioned its priorities, asking whether NHRC members visited BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
'Stalin's intention is plain and simple.' 'The DMK wants to convert what is an 'incumbency-centred' election for the party-led alliance into one more 'Modi/BJP election' after Stalin's successive success in 2019 and 2021, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange is heading to Mumbai to launch a fresh hunger strike, demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category. He has agreed to meet a government delegation near Pune en route.
A court in Kottayam, Kerala, has remanded BJP leader P C George to judicial custody in a hate speech case. The Erattupetta Munsif Magistrate Court rejected George's bail application and sent him to police custody until 6 pm. George surrendered before the court after the Kerala High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. He was accused of delivering hate speech against a minority community during a TV channel discussion. The case was based on a complaint by Muhamed Shihab, a Muslim Youth League leader, who alleged that George made remarks capable of "inciting religious hatred."
A BJP leader from Palakkad, Kerala, has filed a complaint against popular rapper Vedan, accusing him of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promoting caste-based division through his music. The complaint, filed with the Union Home Ministry and NIA, alleges that one of Vedan's songs contains defamatory remarks about the Prime Minister and inflammatory language aimed at dividing the Hindu community along caste lines. The complaint also highlights Vedan's past legal issues, including his arrest on April 28 in connection with a drug case. Vedan has denied the allegations, claiming that the criticism is part of a broader attempt to portray him as an extremist.
Once identified, these individuals are drawn into private groups where they are exposed to manipulative content, including fabricated videos depicting atrocities allegedly committed by security forces, the officials said.
The Rajasthan high court has directed yoga guru Ramdev to appear on October 5 at Barmer's Chohtan police station for questioning in connection with an FIR against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, while extending the stay on his arrest.
The incident occurred during a live concert on April 25 at a college in Bengaluru. Nigam paused his performance when someone from the audience loudly demanded that he sing in Kannada. Frustrated by the repeated shouts of "Kannada, Kannada," the singer responded sharply from the stage.
Posters with the message "Free Gaza, Free Palestine" and calls to boycott Israeli goods were found in the Narauli town of Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh, India. Police are investigating the incident based on CCTV footage and information gathered from shop owners. The posters emerged following Israel's offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023.
The DMK and its allies submitted a list of pending assembly bills with the Raj Bhavan.
BJP leader PC George was granted bail by a court in Kottayam, Kerala in a hate speech case. George had surrendered before the court on Monday and was remanded to police custody. The High Court had rejected his anticipatory bail plea, observing that granting bail would send the wrong message to society. George was accused of delivering a hate speech against a minority community during a TV channel discussion. He was booked under sections 196(1)(a), 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act.
The Calcutta high court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by the Kolkata police for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments.
The Supreme Court of India has censured BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his remarks against the judiciary, stating that his comments "tend to scandalize and lower the authority of the Supreme Court of India." The court dismissed a contempt petition against Dubey but issued a scathing order criticizing his remarks, which included accusations that the court was "taking the country towards anarchy" and that Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna was "responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country." The court deemed Dubey's statements "highly irresponsible" and indicative of an attempt to "incite religious wars." The order highlighted the importance of maintaining public confidence in the judiciary and condemned attempts to undermine its authority.
If freedom of speech is allowed beyond limits, it could lead to disastrous consequences, the Bombay HC has said.
Imam is accused of making inflammatory speeches against the government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens,
It also issued notice to chairman of Sudarshan News, Suresh Chavhanke, Odisha Television Limited, Pittie Media LLP, Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited which is the owner of The Organiser, Voice of the Nation'.
The cyber crime division have booked the BJP state unit chief under sections of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups among others.
"This entire period is highly sensitive in terms of law and order, healthcare, sanitation, education, and disaster management. Hence, all related departments and district administrations must work with coordination and accountability," Adityanath said, according to an official statement.
"Charges are being framed under sections 124 (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of Indian Penal Code, and Section 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of UAPA," Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat ordered.
The application alleged that the assistant superintendent of jail recently had entered his cell along with eight-ten people in the garb of a search, assaulted him and called him a terrorist and anti-national.
The Maharashtra Cyber division has issued a notice to the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind Wikipedia, demanding the removal of "objectionable" content related to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj from the online encyclopedia. The notice, issued under the Information Technology Act, claims the content is inaccurate and lacks proper references, potentially inciting communal hatred. The move follows recent claims by various organizations about the existence of defamatory information regarding Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia, particularly in the wake of the Hindi film "Chhava", based on his life. The Maharashtra Cyber has directed the Wikimedia Foundation to remove the content promptly and prevent its re-uploading.
The film has nothing objectionable or derogatory, the court said after watching it, and allowed its release on streaming platform Netflix.
The Congress on Wednesday filed a police complaint over the recent statements of leaders belonging to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) targeting Rahul Gandhi.
The Delhi police has registered an FIR against two Twitter handles of a journalist and a news portal for allegedly inciting hatred between communities after they claimed manhandling of scribes during the controversial 'Hindu Mahapanchayat' event, officials said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has accused the BJP of rigging the Maharashtra assembly elections and called for a return to ballot paper voting. He also criticized the Modi government for selling off public assets, undermining democratic institutions, and promoting communal polarization. Kharge's remarks come as the Congress prepares for its AICC session in Ahmedabad, where it will present its political and economic views.
In a video message posted on X, Kangana Ranaut claimed that she and the members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) have been receiving threats. She said she is under pressure to not show the assassination of the former prime minster by her security guards.
India believes that Canada doesn't take seriously violence or terrorism or incitement to hatred seriously, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday as he cited foundational responsibility for the Canadian government for not taking actions against those espousing violence and terrorism against a third country.
'Nearly 13,000 individuals have been charged for sedition since 2010.' 'If the Supreme Court stay ever gets vacated, arrests will follow immediately.'
The opposition INDIA bloc has written to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai over their social media platforms' alleged role in "aiding communal hatred" in the country and demanded that the platforms maintain neutrality in the upcoming elections.
The Centre on Monday blocked 16 YouTube channels, including six operating from Pakistan, and a Facebook account for spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign relations and public order, according to an official statement.
'An emergency has been imposed on my film too. It's a very hopeless state.'
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday instructed her home minister to initiate immediate action against those who incited violence using religion as she asked the people not to trust anything on social media without fact-checking.
The statement was posted on the issue of a 'Shivling' found in the Gyanvapi mosque complex which is very sensitive in nature and the matter is pending before the court, the lawyer said in his complaint.
The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA.
India on Wednesday voted in favour of a draft resolution tabled in the UN Human Rights Council that condemns and strongly rejects recent "public and premeditated" acts of desecration of the Quran.
Actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday told the Bombay high court, through her lawyer, that none of her tweets had ever incited violence or caused any criminal acts, and sought quashing of the first information report registered against her for sedition by Mumbai Police.
Modi on Sunday suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources.
Some Bharatiya Janata Party MPs also raised the issue in Parliament, accusing Madhya Pradesh's new chief minister of inciting hatred against people of other states.
The Kashmir Files, which polarised opinions following its release in March and went on to become a blockbuster hit, was screened at IFFI on November 22 as part of the Indian panorama section.
Prince Harry on Tuesday became the first senior British royal to give evidence in a high court trial in over 100 years as he appeared in the witness box here to allege unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking, by journalists working for the Mirror Group Newspapers.
