Thane Sep 27 PTI A Thane court on Monday ordered issuance of a show-cause notice to noted Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar on a defamation suit filed against him over his alleged remarks seeking to compare the RSS with the TalibanThe suit filed by RSS activist Vivek Champanerkar in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate and joint civil judge senior division seeks Re 1 as compensation from AkhtarThe court ordered issuance of the notice returnable on November 12The 76-year-old poet lyricist and screenwriter triggered a controversy early this month when he told a news channel that right wing all over the world has an uncanny similarityThe Taliban want an Islamic country These people want to make a Hindu Rashtra the former Member of Parliament said without naming the Nagpur-headquartered Hindutva organisationAdvocate Aditya Mishra who appeared for the complainant argued at length in the court and claimed the defendant Akhtar had made derogatory remarks against the RSS while appearing in a show of a private news channelHe said the defendants remarks drawing a parallel between barbaric Taliban and organisations working for the Hindu cause were aimed at vilifying such outfitsIn the petition Champanerkar said the statements made by the defendant were aimed at belittling the RSSs image in the eyes of common publicThe defendant uttered unfounded false and baseless allegations against the organisation of plaintiff in the said show Mishra saidThe plaintiff states he has been hurt by defendants defamatory statement to tarnish the image of plaintiffs organization and hence he is in loss of rupee one for which the defendant is liable to compensate him according to the suit PTI COR RSY RSY

Thane Sep 27 PTI Two more persons were arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged blackmailing and repeated gang-rape of a 15-year-old girl in Thane city police said and with this all 33 accused named by the victim have been nabbedAfter the duo was nabbed the number of arrested persons went up to 31 while two minors were also detained earlier in connection with the case which has caused widespread outrageFour teams were formed to trace the accused which numbered 33 and of these the last two persons wanted in the case were arrested on Monday the police saidThe Thane police have set up a Special Investigation Team SIT led by a woman officer to probe the gang-rape case The crime came to light on September 22 when the victim lodged a complaint with the Manpada police station in Dombivli a distant suburb of MumbaiThe girl was allegedly raped multiple times at different places in Thane district including Dombivli Badlapur Murbad and Rabale between January and September this year the police have said Based on the girls complaint the Manpada police on Wednesday registered a case against all the accused persons under IPC sections 376 rape 376 n repeated rape 376 d gang-rape 376 3 rape on a woman under sixteen years of age and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO ActSome of the accused blackmailed the minor girl by threatening to circulate her pictures and video of sexual assault on her that was recorded by them on their mobile phones she had told the policeShe finally mustered courage to speak to her mother about the ordeal on September 22 after which the offence was registered and probe began the police have said PTI COR RSY RSY

Thane Sep 27 PTI Police have arrested five people for allegedly cheating and indulging in other malpractices during a police recruitment exam in Maharashtras Thane city officials said on Monday The written exam was held on Sunday in Thane and neighbouring Palghar district for the recruitment of police drivers Around 18000 job aspirants appeared for the exam in Thane commissionerate limits officials said Five people were caught cheating and indulging in other malpractices at an examination centre in Balkum area of the city an official from Kapurbawdi police station said A case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 419 punishment for cheating by personation and 34 common intention he said PTI COR GK GK

Thane Sep 27 PTI Thane has reported 266 new cases of coronavirus raising the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 558307 an official said on Monday Besides these new cases added on Sunday the virus also claimed the life of one person which pushed the death toll in the district to 11397 he said The COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 204 per cent he added In neighbouring Palghar district the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 135774 while the death toll has reached 3275 another official said PTI COR GK GK