NEW DELHI, June 27: India will never allow "the forces of hatred and violence" to come anywhere near its people, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today as she hosted an Eid reception for envoys.

She said like any religious festival in India, whether Diwali or Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr too brings together people of all faiths.

"India is home to one of the largest population of Muslims. Our celebrations of Eid are as diverse as our regions, languages, cuisine and traditions, as vibrant as our clothes and festivities, and as sweet as our traditional meeti sevaiyan and a host of savoury dishes," she said at the reception for Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in New Delhi.

"As long as we truly practice our faiths and, as the Holy Prophet himself said: 'None of you have faith until he loves for his brother, or for his neighbour, what he loves for himself.

"We will never allow the forces of hatred and violence come anywhere near our peoples, and disrupt our societies," she said.

Extending her Eid wishes, the minister noted that Muslims all over the world observe Ramzan as the month of fasting, with a pre-dawn meal of suhoor and ending the fast everyday with iftar.

It is a month to practice self discipline and self control -- a test of inner strength, she said.

Quoting the King of Jordan from his speech in April here, Ms Swaraj said, "It was wisely said, the world is one family... Compassion, mercy, tolerance -- these values are shared by billions of Muslims and non-Muslims around the world. And these values require us, together, to act for our common future.

"Just as His Majesty referred to one global family, we too in India have grown up believing that the world is indeed one family. The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is ingrained in our ethos," Ms Swaraj said.

Courtesy: www.ndtv.com

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Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.

Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.

On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.

Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”

Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”

Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.

In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.

The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.

Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.

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