Mecca Masjid blast case judge joins Telangana Jana Samiti(TJS)
Hyderabad, Oct 14: Former judge K Ravinder Reddy, who quit after delivering the verdict in the Mecca Masjid blast case, has joined the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS), part of the opposition alliance led by the Congress for the coming Assembly polls, weeks after expressing keenness to embrace the BJP.
The move is being seen as a shot in the arm for the TJS in the run-up to the December 7 polls. Reddy was welcomed into the party by TJS president M Kodandaram at an event Saturday.
Reddy, the then judge for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases here, had on April 16 acquitted Hindutva preacher Aseemanand and four others in the Mecca Masjid blast case.
He had resigned as a judge within hours of pronouncing the judgment, citing personal reasons.
Last month, Reddy had expressed keenness to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), describing it as a "patriotic party", and banners welcoming him into the party were put up at the state BJP headquarters here, but it did not materialise.
The TJS is part of the opposition alliance, also comprising the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Communist Party of India (CPI), formed to take on the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the upcoming polls.
Kodandaram expressed hope that the seat-sharing talks among the alliance partners would be finalised by "Vijaya Dashami" (October 18).
Kodandaram was the chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which was at the forefront of the separate Telangana agitation.
The JAC consisted of various parties, including the TRS. Kodandaram, however, fell out with the TRS after the party assumed power in Telangana in 2014.
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IRGC warns of retaliation after energy sites hit; Gulf nations issue Emergency Alerts
Tehran/Riyadh/Doha: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a strong warning after attacks on its energy infrastructure, saying it will retaliate against those responsible.
A spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said “the fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of countries behind the attacks “will be burned and turned to ashes at the earliest opportunity”.
“This is a firm and clear warning to the criminals who attacked part of Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructures in the south of the country,” the statement, carried by Iran’s Mehr news agency, said.
“We declare to the cowardly and aggressive army of the criminal America and the barbaric and child-killing Zionist regime that you will have to throw your soldiers into the water and throw your dignity into the wind,” it added.
The warning comes as Gulf countries step up emergency measures amid fears of further escalation.
Saudi Arabia’s National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Cases issued alerts warning of danger in the Riyadh and al-Kharj governorates. Residents were cautioned about a possible aerial threat.
In Qatar, reports indicate that Ras Laffan, the world’s largest LNG production facility, is being evacuated. The move follows Iran’s warning that it may target energy infrastructure in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Ras Laffan was previously attacked on March 2 in the early phase of the conflict, after which QatarEnergy had temporarily paused production.
Authorities have reportedly asked workers and residents in specific areas to evacuate as a precaution.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of two loud explosions in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. Residents there have received alerts warning of a possible aerial attack.
The situation across the Gulf region remains tense as military threats and countermeasures continue to escalate.
