India News
Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan granted bail by Lucknow Sessions Judge
Kappan and 3 others were detained at the Mathura toll plaza in Uttar Pradesh while en route to cover up a gang rape and the murder of a Dalit woman in Hathras

Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan, who was scheduled to be released on Tuesday after two years in jail in a money laundering case, was granted bail by the Sessions Judge, Lucknow on Wednesday.
Since December 21, 2021, he has been awaiting trial after being charged under the UAPA and later in a PMLA case.
Kappan’s attorney claims that there was a delay in authenticating the two sureties for one lakh rupees that he was required to submit before being granted bail. The sureties could not, however, be submitted in court after being vetted on Tuesday due to the lawyers’ strike.
On December 23, the top court granted Kappan bail. His two one-lakh sureties were unable to be authenticated in a timely manner, according to his attorney Ishan Baghel.
Now that both sureties have been confirmed, they were unable to be presented in court today due to a boycott by district court attorneys. When the court resumes its proceedings, he will be discharged, Baghel said.
The FIR that Lucknow police had lodged earlier this month against two lawyers in an accident case prompted the strike on Tuesday. On October 5, 2020, Kappan and three other people were detained at the Mathura toll plaza in Uttar Pradesh while en route to cover up a gang rape and the murder of a Dalit woman in Hathras town.
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The accused, according to the police, were aiming to undermine local law and order and were active members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), a group that has since been outlawed.
Cases under The Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act were filed against the journalist. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later arrested him in connection with the PMLA case.
In connection with the Hathras case, the Supreme Court granted Siddique bail in September. But due to ED’s money laundering case, he remained behind bars.
On December 23, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court granted Kappan bail after observing that the ED’s investigation had not specifically linked Kappan to the case involving the alleged illegal transfer of $1.36 million, purportedly obtained by PFI, in order to foment terrorism in the nation.
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India News
Jharkhand: Policeman steps on 4-day-old baby while searching a house, baby dies
Bhushan’s family members allege that the child was trampled to death by the policemen.

A horrific incident has come to light from Jharkhand’s Giridh district where a policeman allegedly stepped on a 4-day-old baby while searching a house to nab the accused. The incident took place in Kosogondodighi village in the district on Wednesday.
The reports state that while searching a house for the accused, who is also the child’s grandfather, the police allegedly stepped on a newborn who was asleep in one of the rooms.
State Health Minister Banna Gupta said, Such kinds of incidents will be criticized and strict action will be taken. This country runs according to the Constitution thus action will be taken against the police officials as well.
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The locals claim that a team headed by Sangam Pathak, in charge of the Deori police station, reached the accused, Bhushan Pandey’s, house to catch him after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. However, seeing the police, all the family members of Bhushan’s family left the house, leaving the infant alone.
The mother of the deceased newborn Neha Devi alleged that the baby was sleeping inside the house when the police were searching the nook and corner of the house. Upon reaching the house, after the police team had gone, she found her child dead.
Bhushan’s family members allege that the child was trampled to death by the policemen.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanjay Rana said that an investigation into this matter is underway and the body has been sent for postmortem. Action will be taken after the proper investigation.
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Health
India records 1,300 fresh Covid cases, highest in past 140 days
The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.
According to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated today at 8 am, the daily positivity was recorded at 1.46 per cent while the weekly positivity was logged at 1.08 per cent.
The data revealed that the number of cases in the country since the pandemic’s outbreak is tallied at 4.46 crore (4,46,99, 418), while the death toll has increased to 5,30,816 with three more deaths—one each from Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra—attributed to the deadly virus.
As per the health ministry’s date, the active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.79 per cent.
Further numbers from the health ministry’s data reveal that a total of 92.06 crore tests for detection of Covid have been conducted so far with 89,078 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours.
According to the data posted on the health ministry’s website, 4,41,60,997 people have successfully recuperated from the deadly virus while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
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The data also reveals that 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the surge in deaths due to the H3N2 variant of the seasonal influenza virus is triggering an outbreak scare in the country.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others
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India News
Rahul Gandhi and the misfortune of attracting defamation suits
This is not the first time when Rahul Gandhi has been slapped with defamation cases. Let’s have a look.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday was sentenced to 2 years in jail in connection with the 2019 defamation case over Modi surname remark. However, Gandhi was granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 15,000.
Gandhi made the remarks in question while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The defamation case against Rahul Gandhi was filed by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi who argued that the Congress leader defamed the whole Modi community.
The case against Rahul Gandhi was filed before the Surat court under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation). The Gandhi scion recorded his statement before the court in October 2021.
The Congress leader took to Twitter and quoted Mahatma Gandhi soon after the verdict came out. He tweeted, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence is the means to get it.”
Have a look at the tweet:
Priyanka Gandhi also took to Twitter and said her brother has never been afraid, nor will he ever be. She continued that the whole machinery of the government is trying to suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi by imposing prices, punishment, and discrimination.
This is not the first time when Rahul Gandhi has been slapped with defamation cases. Let’s have a look.
RSS defamation case
The Maharashtra court framed charges against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making defamatory charges against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in his 2014’s speech and blaming the RSS for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.
The case was registered by RSS’s Swayam Sevak Dhrutiman Joshi against Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Sonia Gandhi, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for defaming the RSS in connection with the death of Gauri Lankesh.
Joshi stated that within 24 hours of Lankesh’s murder, Gandhi criticised the RSS and alleged that anybody who speaks against the ideology of the BJP, against the ideology of the RSS is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed.
Gandhi pleaded not guilty in the case and the court framed charges and the case was set for trial.
Chowkidar Chor Hai defamation case
In 2019, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi sued Rahul Gandhi for his comments a day after the Supreme Court ruled that classified documents accessed by the media could be used as evidence to consider a review in connection with its decision on the Rafale jet deal.
Welcoming the order, Gandhi had said the court agreed that chowkidar chor hai.
Following his comments, the Top Court demanded an explanation after which the Congress leader issued an unconditional apology and claimed that the remark was made unintentionally and inadvertently.
Savarkar defamation case
In 2022, Thane Police in Maharashtra registered a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for his derogatory remarks against freedom fighter VD Savarkar. The case was filed by Vandana Dongre, a functionary of the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shine who alleged that Gandhi hurt sentiments through his statements against Savarkar.
During his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra, Gandhi, during a press conference, claimed that Savarkar helped the Britishers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear and betrayed Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, and other leaders.
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