Anti-CAA movement to be revived: Akhil Gogoi
Guwahati: The movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act that rocked Assam will be revived, MLA Akhil Gogoi said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters at Nagaon, Gogoi said the leaders of the movement betrayed the people of the state while he was kept in jail.
"Now that I am out, I want to assure the people that the anti-CAA movement will resume. No (illegal) foreigner will be allowed to stay in the state," he said on the way to his constituency Sivasagar, a day after he was released from jail.
Gogoi spent nearly 19 months behind bars for his alleged role in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December 2019. He fought and won the recently-concluded assembly elections from the jail.
Gogoi alleged that the BJP-led state government was not sympathetic towards the problems of the people.
"I will raise the issues of big dams and toll gates in the state Assembly. If the government fails to give a proper response, we will have to take the path of agitation," he said.
On the way to Sivasagar, around 400 km from Guwahati, Gogoi had to stop multiple times as his supporters and locals lined the roads cheering for him.
"This outpour of people's love for a jailed person like me proves that I was wrongly confined. The BJP kept me behind bars and won a second term but this won't happen again.
In 2026, a new government will be formed. The BJP 'hatao' (remove BJP) movement starts from today," the Raijor Dal president asserted.
This was the first time that Gogoi shall be visiting Sivasagar after being elected.
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Karnataka HC quashes FIR against three men accused of 'preaching Islam' near temple premises
Bengaluru, Jul 25 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has quashed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against three Muslim men who were accused of "preaching Islam" and distributing religious pamphlets near a Hindu temple in Jamkhandi, Bagalkot district.
The complaint had alleged that the men attempted religious conversion by making promises of employment and passed derogatory remarks about Hinduism.
However, the High Court held that there was no substantial evidence of coercion, fraud, or inducement--criteria necessary for prosecution under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022.
The court made it clear that mere expression or distribution of religious literature does not amount to an offence unless accompanied by forceful or deceitful attempts to convert.
"The essence of a free society lies in the freedom to express, discuss, and propagate beliefs," the bench observed.
It further stated that peaceful preaching, in the absence of coercion or allurement, is protected under Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess and propagate one's religion.
Additionally, the bench noted that the complainant in the case was neither the alleged victim nor a relative of one. As per Section 4 of the 2022 Act, only an aggrieved individual or their close relatives are permitted to lodge such complaints--making the FIR procedurally invalid.
