Lawyer files plea in Bombay HC against Eknath Shinde, Nitesh Rane over alleged Islamophobic remarks
Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane for allegedly making Islamophobic remarks that hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
The petitioner, advocate Mohammed Wasi Sayed, filed the plea after coming across a video featuring self-proclaimed saint Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who is accused of making derogatory statements about Prophet Mohammed. The video shows Chief Minister Shinde expressing support for Mahant Ramgiri and warning the police against taking action against him as long as he remains in office. The advocate contends that this undermines the ongoing investigation against the Mahant.
The petition further notes that Nitesh Rane escalated tensions by allegedly threatening, “If anybody says anything against Ramgiri Maharaj, we will enter your mosque and hit you one by one.” Rane is also accused of making derogatory remarks against Muslims, referring to them as “homosexuals.”
According to Sayed, these comments should be viewed as part of a wider pattern of rising Islamophobia in the country. The plea asserts that such statements are intended to polarise voters along communal lines, particularly with the State Assembly elections approaching.
“They started Islamophobic campaigns to divert public attention from routine problems to hypothetical issues," Sayed argued, stressing that such tactics could deepen social divisions.
The petition also raises concerns over a growing trend of online hate speech targeting Muslims, highlighting data that indicates an increase in Islamophobic posts on social media platforms like Twitter/X. Sayed argued that most of this content goes undetected due to being shared in regional languages, which are underrepresented in calculations and sampling.
The advocate emphasised that certain social media users are leveraging Islamophobic content for political and economic gain, leading to dangerous real-world consequences.
Sayed has sought action under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Information Technology Act against Shinde and Rane, along with an order to halt live broadcasts of Rane’s speeches targeting the Muslim community.
The Bombay High Court is expected to hear the petition soon.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
