Emotional Siraj heads straight to father's grave from airport, offers prayers
Hyderabad: Mohammed Siraj went straight to the graveyard on his return from a historic tour and paid his last respects to his father who died two months ago while the India speedster was doing national team duty in Australia.
As Siraj stood and prayed in front of his father Mohammed Ghouse's grave, his two-month long wait finally came to an end.
He laid flowers at his father's grave while offering prayers before heading to his home in Al-Hasnath colony.
Siraj's 53-year-old father, who was an auto driver, had died on November 20 due to a lung ailment -- barely a week after his son landed in Australia with the Indian team.
He was given the option of returning home but the pacer chose to stay back with the team for the tour.
He made his Test debut in the second match in Melbourne and finished the Border-Gavaskar series with 13 wickets - the most by any Indian bowler as the team came from behind to script a memorable 2-1 series win.
Having got the backing of his family, Siraj's brave decision to stay back not only saw him make his India debut but also play an instrumental part in the team's victory while fulfilling his father's dream of representing the country in the highest form of the game.
"It was my (late) father's dream that Siraj should represent India in Tests. He always wanted to see him (Siraj) in blue and white jersey to represent the nation, so the dream got fulfilled," Siraj's brother Mohammed Ismail had told PTI.
Siraj bowled his heart out and picked up a maiden five-wicket haul (5/73) at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia's fortress which was breached on Tuesday after 32 years.
"It was a great achievement by the Indian team and my brother Siraj has achieved what our father dreamt. We are happy that Siraj was able to contribute to the victory," Ismail said.
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.
Allahabad HC denies relief to Rahul Gandhi in Savarkar remarks case
Lucknow (UP), Apr 4 (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has refused to grant any relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case concerning alleged derogatory remarks made against freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The defamation case stems from Gandhi's comments on Savarkar made on November 17, 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a rally in Maharashtra's Akola district.
The court on Friday ruled that Gandhi can file a revision petition before the sessions court, making the high court's intervention unnecessary at this stage.
Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the single bench issued the order.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had challenged a lower court's decision to summon him in the case, also contesting the ongoing proceedings against him.
Gandhi's lawyer, Pranshu Agarwal, argued that the allegations in the complaint did not constitute offences under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He also contended that the lower court had disregarded Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which pertains to prosecution for offences against the State.
However, Justice Vidyarthi, without commenting on the merits of the case, stated that Gandhi has the option to file a revision petition before the sessions court. The high court declined to provide immediate relief to Gandhi.
Advocate Nripendra Pandey filed a complaint, accusing Gandhi of intentionally insulting Savarkar during the rally.
The complainant alleged Gandhi's remarks were part of a well-planned conspiracy to defame Savarkar. He noted that the comments were broadcast widely across the media.
The case is being heard in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate here. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled on April 14.
