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Akhara of sadhus declares Ram Rahim, Asaram, Rampal & 11 others as ‘fake babas’

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Ram Rahim

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) – an apex body of Hindu sages – declares list of 14 cult leaders who have “brought disrepute to sadhus and sanyasis”

Amid growing outrage over controversial self-styled godmen and cult leaders – the likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Rampal and Asaram Bapu who are all currently lodged in various jails – an apex body of Hindu sages has been forced to come out with a list of 14 “fake babas”. Former RSS member and 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts case accused Swami Aseemanand also finds his name in this ‘elite list’ of charlatans.

These self-anointed gurus and bapus who, riding on their mass popularity, financial strength and political connections, have become leaders of various cults have been called out by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) as “charlatans who have brought disrepute to sadhus and sanyasis”.

The ABAP is an apex body of Hindu sages and saints – albeit some of its members are just as controversial as those godmen who they wish to outcast. Members of the ABAP met in Allahabad, on Sunday, to discuss the challenges posed to their brethren because of the controversial and often criminal activities and links of self-anointed godmen like Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh or Asaram Bapu – the former was recently convicted of raping two of his female followers while the latter, along with his son Narayan Sai – another guru – are facing trial in a slew of rape cases filed by their female followers, including some minors.

Asaram Bapu

The Parishad’s president Swami Narendra Giri said: “We appeal to the common people to beware of such charlatans who belong to no tradition and by their questionable acts, bring disrepute to sadhus and sanyasis… As per the Hindu way of life, only followers of the age-old tradition of Sanyasi, Nath, Vaishnav, Shaiv, Udasin, Nirmal and Guru Nanak sects are saints.” Apart from these, no self-proclaimed godman or godwoman should be considered a saint as they are neither part of any akhara, nor ordained.”

Nearly all 14 self-styled godmen listed out by the Parishad have either been convicted in criminal cases or are standing trial for various offences, some as serious as rape and murder.

Here are the ‘fake babas’ as listed out by ABAP:

* Rapist godman and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

* Asumal Sirumalani alias Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai – both currently lodged in jail and facing trial on charges of rape and criminal intimidation

* Sukhwinder Kaur alias Radhe Maa – the only woman on the list, Radhe Maa has often been in news for all the wrong reasons – from her gaudy, un-saint-like costumes to criminal complaints filed against her for intimidation, forcing a woman’s in-laws to seek dowry, to sexual harassment

* Nirmaljeet Singh aka Nirmal Baba – the ‘television’ baba with a ‘Third Eye’ that sees into a person’s life and helps him suggest absurd remedies like changing the type of chutney one eats with a samosa to find financial success, Nirmal Baba too has been a controversial and polarising figure

* Sant Rampal – He claims to be an incarnation of celebrated and revered 15th-century poet Kabir. In November 2014, five bodies were discovered by the police after they raided Rampal’s ashram in Haryana’s Hisar district. Hundreds of his followers had turned the ashram into a fortress of sorts and police had to use water cannons and lathi-charge his armed supporters to finally force the godman to ‘surrender’. He is currently in jail.

Swami Aseemanand

* Swami Aseemanand – a former RSS member who was an accused in the 2007 Ajmer Sharif and Mecca Masjid blast cases, Aseemanand is a known right-wing, Muslim bashing ‘swami’. He was recently acquitted in the Ajmer blast case due to “benefit of doubt”

Others on the list: Icchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot (accused of running a sex racket); Swami Omji (faces range of criminal cases under Arms Act, TADA, etc), Sachchidanand Giri (a proclaimed offender also known as Builder Baba due to various real-estate linked frauds), Acharya Kushmuni Swarup, Brahaspati Giri, Malkhan Singh and Om Namah Shivay Baba.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Parliament Winter Session to be held from November 25 to December 20

Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister affirmed that the government’s proposal to convene both Houses of the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) during this period was sanctioned by President Droupadi Murmu.

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Parliament Winter Session to be held from November 25 to December 20

The Parliament Winter Session will commence from November 25 and will conclude on December 20. The winter session will take place two days after the announcement of Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly election results.

Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister affirmed that the government’s proposal to convene both Houses of the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) during this period was sanctioned by President Droupadi Murmu.

Notably, the upcoming Winter Session will be the observance of Constitution Day on November 26, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution. Reportedly, the event will be celebrated in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi, with members of both Houses gathering to honour the country’s foundational document.

Taking to X, Kiren Rijiju said that the President, on the recommendation of Government of India, has approved the proposal for summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Winter Session, 2024 from 25th November to 20th December, 2024 (subject to exigencies of parliamentary business). The Union Minister added that on 26th November, 2024 (Constitution Day), 75th Anniversary of the adoption of Constitution, the event would be celebrated in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.

In this session, raging discussions are expected to be held around two key legislative proposals: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and One Nation, One Election.

Previously, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stressed on the importance of the Waqf (Amendment Bill), asserting that it would be addressed in the winter session. Addressing an election rally in Gurugram, the Home Minister said that they will resolve The Waqf Board law in the next session of the Parliament.

At present, a Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) is holding marathon meetings across various states to engage with stakeholders and address their concerns and build a consensus on the contentious bill.

Reportedly, the Centre might also look to introduce One Nation One Election Bill which will ensure simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Unity Day speech in Gujarat, said that the One Nation, One Election proposal, which aims to synchronise all elections in the country either on a single day or within a specific time frame, will be cleared soon and will become a reality.

The Prime Minister said that they are now working towards One Nation One Election, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give the optimum outcome of India’s resources and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India.

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

The court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language.

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

In a significant development, the Kerala High Court has quashed all charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in a case filed by renowned South Indian actress Manju Warrier. The criminal case lodged in 2019, alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon against Manju Warrier.

Justice S. Manu, who presided over the case, found insufficient evidence to support the charges pressed against the film director. The charges included stalking under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), using obscene language under Section 294(b) of the IPC, and criminal intimidation under Section 509 of the IPC.

The Kerala High Court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language. The complaint, which was filed in 2019, mentioned an altercation that supposedly occurred in Dubai in December 2018. Furthermore, the Court pointed out that Section 188 of the CrPC mandates seeking Central Government permission for prosecuting offenses committed outside India.

The final report also included a charge under Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act. However, the High Court observed that this offense is non-cognizable, meaning the police cannot initiate a case without specific permission. Since the other charges were deemed unsustainable, the Kerala High Court ruled that prosecution solely under this section would not hold validity.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by Manju Warrier with the Kerala State Police Chief in 2019. The petition alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon. Subsequently, the petition led to the registration of an FIR at the Thrissur East Police Station. 

Both film director Sreekumar Warrier and actor Manju Menon have enjoyed successful careers in the Malayalam film industry. Their collaboration on the film Odiyan, starring Mohanlal, marked Sreekumar Menon’s directorial debut. 

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

The NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left.

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Sharad Pawar, 83, today hinted at retirement as he said he may not contest any more elections after his Rajya Sabha term ends in 18 months.

Sharad Pawar who formed the NCP in 1999 is widely regarded as the grand old man of Maharashtra politics. The veteran politician was speaking at his family stronghold of Baramati in western Maharashtra, which will see a Pawar vs Pawar contest in the November 20 Assembly election.

Addressing a rally, the NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left. He continued that he will not contest any election in future, and that he will have to stop somewhere. He also thanked the voters of Baramati for making him an MP and MLA a staggering 14 times overall. Notably, a potential close of a nearly six-decade-long political career comes as the NCP and its allies – the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena group – contest this month’s election.

In this election, the fight for Baramati is being seen as a referendum on Sharad Pawar’s continuing influence over voters, since it sees his grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar, do battle against his nephew Ajit Pawar, whose led the rebellion last year that forced the NCP to split.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar is a five-time MLA from Baramati but, in each of his earlier wins, he had the backing of his uncle’s party. This will be the first assembly election in which he contests under his own banner.

The result of the election for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, where the people voted overwhelmingly for Sharad Pawar’s candidate, his daughter Supriya Sule, underlines Ajit Pawar’s task at hand.

Speaking at Baramati, Sharad Pawar said that he holds no grudge against Ajit Pawar, adding that he led the people there for 30 years. However, he also said that it is time for him to prepare a young and dynamic leadership, which can take over for the next 30 years, apparently referring to Yugendra Pawar’s future position.

The veteran politician continued that he is not seeking votes, acknowledging that voters have always been magnanimous with all Pawar family members. He added that however, now they have to look ahead at the future.  

Notably, Sharad Pawar’s retirement from electoral politics has been circulating for some time now, and was raked up again in January by nephew Ajit Pawar, who had fought against and forced a split of his uncle’s party, leading the rebels into an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and a faction of the Shiv Sena that had earlier broken away from Uddhav Thackeray.

At that time, Ajit Pawar hit out at Sharad Pawar for not sticking to a 2023 resolution to step down from the party’s top post. He said that some people simply refuse to retire. He continued that people should stop after reaching a certain age, but some are not ready, even after turning 80. Referring to his uncle, Ajit Pawar said that this person is not ready to retire.

Responding to this jab, Sharad Pawar said that he is neither tired nor retired, echoing late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks. He questioned who they were to tell him to retire, adding that he can still work.

Last year in May, while the NCP was battling its internal crisis, Sharad Pawar announced his resignation as party boss. However, the announcement was unanimously rejected by top leaders. A few days later, he withdrew his resignation.

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