Delhi HC refuses urgent hearing on Hindu Sena president's plea against 'Adipurush'
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to urgently hear a public interest litigation by Hindu Sena's national president to "stay the streaming" of the film "Adipurush", a retelling of the epic Ramayana.
A vacation bench of Justices Tara Vitasta Ganju and Amit Mahajan declined petitioner Vishnu Gupta's request to list the matter for hearing either "today or tomorrow or day after".
His lawyer said the PIL is listed for hearing on June 30 but the purpose of the petition would be defeated by then.
The court observed that the movie has already been released and the date of release was also known well in advance and no case was made out for an urgent hearing.
"What are you restraining when it is already released? As of now, I am not convinced there is an urgency. Please come back on that day (June 30)," the court said.
The counsel for the petitioner said there are many "controversial parts" that are even hampering international relations as Nepal had banned the film. He claimed that director Om Raut had earlier assured that the problematic parts would be removed but did not do so and released the film.
According to the petition, "Adipurush" has hurt sentiments of the Hindu community by depicting religious characters and figures in an inaccurate and inappropriate manner, which is contrary to the description in Ramayana authored by writers such as Valmiki and Tulsidas.
The petition prayed for directions to authorities to cancel the film's certification and immediately ban it.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
