AIMPLB urges Karnataka govt to withdraw its hijab ban
New Delhi (PTI): As the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the hijab ban in Karnataka's educational institutions, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday urged the BJP government in the state to withdraw its order on the headscarf.
The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a split verdict on the hijab ban in Karnataka's educational institutions, with one judge holding permitting a community to wear its religious symbols will be an "antithesis to secularism" and the other insisting that wearing the Muslim headscarf should be simply a "matter of choice".
While Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals challenging the March 15 judgement of the Karnataka High Court which had refused to lift the ban, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia held there shall be no restriction on the wearing of hijab anywhere in the schools and colleges of the state.
In a statement, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's General Secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said that Justice Dhulia's judgment is in line with the Constitution of India and the ideals of individual freedom.
Justice Dhulia has focused on promoting girls' education and removing barriers to their education, an aspect that is certainly welcomed and is "missing from Justice Hemant Gupta's judgment", Rahmani claimed.
The Karnataka government is requested to withdraw its order regarding the hijab, he said.
"If the Government of Karnataka withdraws the order in question, the whole controversy will automatically come to rest," Rahmani said.
The government should note that women's education in India, particularly among the Muslim community, is already receiving inadequate attention, he said.
The government should not support any measure that creates obstacles in women's education and rather, it must support a "harmless practice, evidently significant to these young girls, and abstaining from it puts these girls in an uncomfortable situation," Rahmani said.
Noting that the matter will now be referred to a larger bench of the Supreme Court due to the divided opinion of the two judges, he said the board supported the "pro-hijab" side when the matter was before the Karnataka High Court and when the matter reached the Supreme Court, the board itself became a party to the matter and presented its opinions, positions, and arguments with full strength.
"The Board will continue to play its part in the fight of these young girls to carry on with hijab with full strength and willingness," Rahmani said.
With the apex court delivering a split verdict, the high court's judgement still holds the field. However, the split verdict held off a permanent resolution of the vexed row over hijab as both judges suggested placing the matter before a larger bench for adjudication.
On March 15, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students of the Government Pre-University Girls College in Karnataka's Udupi seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, ruling it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman used to dupe Belagavi man in Rs 7.9 lakh scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): A 76-year-old man in Belagavi city was allegedly cheated of Rs 7.9 lakh in an online investment scam that used an AI-generated deepfake video misusing the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to lure investors, police said on Wednesday.
An online fraud case was registered at the cybercrime police station on May 1, they said.
According to Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, the victim, Prakash Gubbi, a senior citizen, stated in his complaint that in November last year, he came across a video on YouTube in which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to endorse an investment scheme.
The video also mentioned a link in its description for making investments.
The victim clicked on the link, entered his details, and was later contacted on social media by a person identifying himself as Adarsh Anand, who persuaded him to invest, the officer told reporters.
Citing the complaint, the officer said the victim initially invested a small amount, after which the application began showing profits of USD 65,000.
When he attempted to withdraw the amount, the accused demanded a “customs duty” payment of Rs 4.2 lakh, claiming it was required to process the withdrawal.
The victim paid the amount, after which he was asked to pay an additional Rs 2 lakh. It was at this stage that he realised he had been cheated. In total, he lost around Rs 7.9 lakh in the fraud, the officer added.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, and police are investigating the matter, police said.
The commissioner cautioned the public not to trust such videos, stating that the finance minister does not endorse any such schemes.
He warned that such content is created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He further advised the public to remain vigilant, avoid offers that appear too good to be true on the internet, and invest only through legitimate, registered agencies or trusted channels.
Deepfake technology enables the creation of realistic videos, audio recordings, and images that can mislead viewers by superimposing one person’s likeness onto another, altering their words and actions. This can present a false narrative or spread misinformation.
