Hindu College professor Ratan Lal being produced in a Delhi court.Delhi News Live Updates Today: A Delhi court Saturday granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of that amount. The Hindu College associate professor was arrested over his allegedly objectionable social media post regarding the claims of a Shivling being found in Gyanvapi mosque and was produced in court.
Speaking in the court, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava said, “Prima facie some comments have been passed that have the potential to disturb the public tranquility”. “Accordingly, the FIR was registered… the most important aspect, (that was) not expected from such an educated person, was: after making such type of remarks, he has not stopped there. He has been defending himself through different videos uploaded on YouTube.”
Lal’s counsel argued that the police had ample time to serve notice and wait for reply. “If there was an unsatisfactory reply, then you could have arrested him. This is contempt of Arnesh Kumar judgement and the officers involved in this arrest should face departmental enquiry,” Lal’s lawyer submitted. The defence lawyer also argued that there was no intention or motive behind the post. “In any criminal offence, there should be intention and motive. There is no intention or no motive… He is also a follower of Shiva. If he finds someone trying to have control over the god, or has a low tolerance level, then he can’t be held responsible for it,” Lal’s lawyer said. According to police, Professor Ratan Lal, who teaches history, had allegedly posted a photo of the structure and made objectionable comments on Tuesday. Following his arrest, the students and teachers of several colleges are protesting at Delhi University’s Arts Faculty demanding his immediate release.
Dozens of shops were gutted after a fire broke out in Jhandewalan’s cycle market on Friday afternoon. (Express)
At the home of Karan, the 18-year-old staffer with grocery delivery service Zepto who was killed in a hit-and-run incident on Tuesday, hangs a large-framed photograph of him flanked by his sisters Simran and Ritika.
The picture is a prominent, striking feature of the family’s home in Dwarka’s Goyla Dairy. “Karan took up the job to help my father with my wedding expenses. He just started working on April 9. The date of the wedding was not fixed… it was supposed to happen in November,” said Simran (20), who works as a room attendant at a hotel in the area. Read more
Three people died after a fire broke out at a factory which manufactures battery cells in Sector-37, Faridabad.
A Delhi court Saturday granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and surety of that amount. The Hindu College associate professor was arrested over his allegedly objectionable social media post regarding the claims of a Shivling being found in Gyanvapi mosque and was produced in court.
"Custody should not be extended. This is an abuse of law. If anybody who is writing is taken into custody... jails will be thronged by intellectuals," Lal's lawyer submitted.
"He is an associate professor, the prolonged custody would have an impact on his service..he has no way to earn his livelihood. He may be suspended," Lal's lawyer submitted.
The defence counsels have argued that in this case the data cannot be deleted.
"In any criminal offence there should be intention and motive. There is no intention or no motive... He is also a follower of Shiva. If he finds someone trying to have control over the god, or has a low tolerance level, then he can't be held responsible for it," Lal's lawyer argued.
"I am also a student of this university..if I am having some respectable post, my responsibility to the society is much more. He is an authority on Ambedkar. He should have thought prior to posting that. You should have behaved in a responsible manner. We have received many complaints, atleast six of them," the APP submitted.
The prosecutor rebutted the arguments by stating, "It is electronic evidence. One click and it can be deleted in one second. Then we had to approach Google etc."
"Maurice Nagar PS is 200 metres away from his home. Could they not have served a notice before arresting him? Is he a hardened criminal?" the lawyer argued.
"He is an authority on Ambedkar. The person of this stature and intellect... and a devotee of God Shiva had not called for any violence or created any enmity between groups,"his lawyer submitted.
Lal's lawyers have argued that this was a case in which even an FIR should not have been registered.
"You had proper time you could have served notice, waited for a reply and if there was an unsatisfactory reply, then you could have arrested. This is contempt of Arnesh Kumar judgement and the officers involved in this arrest should face departmental enquiry," Lal's lawyer submitted.
The defence counsels for Lal, in their submissio, asked what circumstances had arose that Lal had to be arrested. They said: "He was not a criminal or a habitual offender. He is a professor at a reputed college."
Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court that "prima facie some comments have been passed that have the potential to disturb the public tranquility". "Accordingly, the FIR was registered... the most important aspect, (that was) not expected from such an educated person, was: after making such type of remarks, he has not stopped there. He has been defending himself through different videos uploaded on YouTube."
"We are at a era were social media posts have great effect on society," the APP submitted.
Prosecutor has asked for 14 days judicial custody of Prof Ratan Lal to further investigate the matter properly.
DU Professor Ratan Lal has been produced before a Delhi court following his arrest by the Delhi Police for allegedly posting an objectionable social media post referring to claims of a Shivling being found at the Gyanvapi mosque.
Uttar Pradesh industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta has recommended that the airport authorities be levied a hefty fine of Rs 10 lakh per day if the construction of the Jewar airport is delayed. The minister concluded a two-day visit to the Gautam Buddha Nagar district on Friday during which he reviewed several industrial policies. The Jewar Greenfield Airport is currently in the construction phase after its foundation was laid last year.
“All the clearances have already been obtained. In the first phase, 50 lakh passengers are expected to use the airport. If the construction is not finished on time, there will be a fine of Rs 10 lakh per day,” the minister said in a statement. Read more
could occur over parts of south and southeast Delhi, and parts of the NCR, including Gurgaon, Faridabad and Manesar, on Saturday morning, according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update at around 9 am, issued for the subsequent two hours.
The maximum temperature on Saturday could fall below 40 degrees Celsius and settle at 39 degrees, going by the IMD forecast. Dust storms or thunderstorms remain on the forecast for Saturday, after parts of Delhi witnessed strong winds, rainfall and lightning on Friday evening. In the past 24 hours, the Safdarjung weather station recorded 0.8 mm of rainfall, while the weather station at Palam recorded 2.4 mm. The weather observatory at Aya Nagar recorded 3.3 mm of rainfall, while the one at Lodhi Road registered 1.5 mm.
To maximize use of treated waste water in greenbelts for better survival of plantations and for dust mitigation, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has laid out over 22 km of lateral pipelines along major roads to transport treated waste water to water green belts and parks in the city.
In a statement, Subhash Yadav, additional CEO, Urban Environment, GMDA, said, “GMDA has recently completed laying 22.11 km of HDPE (high density polyethylene) lateral pipeline network for the purpose of watering in green belts. It has been planned to install lateral pipelines over 100 km along master roads during 2022-23, of which 22.11 km has been completed and work on 5.9 km is under progress. The main purpose is to increase use of treated waste water to ensure survival of plantations. It is also planned to connect all the water bodies and fill treated waste water in these water bodies.” Read more