3 more members of banned PFI arrested in MP for 'conspiracy against govt'
Bhopal (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh Police have arrested three members of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) on charges of conspiring against the government and indulging in unlawful activities, an official said on Sunday.
With this, the police have taken into custody four members of the banned outfit in the last couple of days.
In the latest action, two PFI members were arrested in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Saturday while the third one was arrested after being brought on production warrant from Aurangabad (in Maharashtra) in connection with a case registered by the MP Police's Special Task Force last year, the official said.
The three accused have been identified as Gulam Rasool Shah (37), a resident of Dhar district, Sajid Khan aka Gulam Nabi (56), a resident of Indore, and Parvez Khan (30), from Aurangabad, he said.
They were booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 121A (conspiracy to wage war against government), 153B (assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), besides provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," the official said.
Parvez Khan was in a jail in Aurangabad and was brought to Bhopal on Saturday on a production warrant, he said.
The official said Parvez Khan was associated with the PFI since 2017 and came to Madhya Pradesh as the physical endurance (PE) instructor of the banned organisation to impart the training on several occasions.
Gulam Rasool was an active member of the PFI and used to inspire people to work for the organisation by visiting various areas of the state, he said.
Gulam Nabi was looking after the PFI's financial management Madhya Pradesh, the official said.
The three accused were produced before a local court which sent them in police remand till February 8.
Earlier on Friday, the police arrested PFI office-bearer Wasid Khan (26), a resident of Sheopur, in the same case.
Wasid Khan joined PFI's legal cell National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation in 2019 and held the post of its state general secretary, the official said.
The Centre in September 2022 banned the PFI and several of its associates for five years under a stringent anti-terror law, accusing them of having "links" with global terror groups like ISIS and trying to spread communal hatred in the country.
Before the ban, the National Investigating Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate(ED) and various state police forces had carried out raids in a massive pan-India crackdown on the PFI and arrested several of its leaders and activists from various states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.
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Defamation complaint: You cannot be touchy in politics, says SC
New Delhi (PTI): You cannot be "touchy" in politics, the Supreme Court observed while hearing Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan's plea relating to a criminal defamation proceeding initiated against him.
Murugan approached the apex court last year, challenging a September 5, 2023, Madras High Court order in which it had refused to quash the proceeding against him on a complaint filed by Chennai-based Murasoli Trust for his alleged defamatory statements during a December 2020 press conference.
While agreeing to hear his petition on September 27 last year, the top court stayed the proceeding against Murugan that was pending in a special court in Chennai.
The apex court had also sought the Trust's response on his plea challenging the high court order.
When the matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan on Friday, the counsel appearing for Murugan said, "Where is the question of defamation in this case?"
The lawyer appearing for the Trust sought an adjournment in the matter.
"You cannot be touchy in politics," the bench observed.
"Put up after four weeks at the request of the counsel for the respondent," the apex court said.
Murugan had earlier approached the high court, challenging the proceeding initiated against him.
The high court had noted in its order that according to the Trust, Murugan made the statements "with an ulterior motive to degrade and tarnish the reputation of the Murasoli Trust in the eyes of the general public".
"While dealing with the quash petition, this court cannot go into the merits of the case or the disputed questions of fact. This court has to merely go by what is alleged in the complaint and prima facie find out as to whether the offence is made out," the high court had said.
"In an offence of defamation, the statements have to be tested only from the point of view of a common prudent man, who comes across the defamatory statements made," it had said.
While dismissing the petition, the high court had directed the trial court to dispose of the case within three months.
"It is left open to the petitioner (Murugan) to raise all the grounds before the trial court and the same will be considered on its own merits and in accordance with law," it had said.
