Patil, Raut, Thorat meet ahead of counting of votes

A police official said the media persons were booked by police in Sopore township of the north Kashmir district. 

Giving details, the official said that on Wednesday, Sopore Police Station received a reliable information to the effect that Sopore resident Mueeb ul Haq and Suhail Khan, from Delina Baramulla, have resorted to "wrong reporting" and have posted "frivolous news" on social media platforms by "misrepresenting' a hit and run case as a murder case. 

"This wrong reporting rapidly spread across the Sopore area and had all potential to create the law and order issues. This wrong reporting hurt the sentiments of the people besides raising questions against the investigation agency," the official said. 

He said an FIR under relevant sections of law has been registered in Sopore Police Station and both the accused have been arrested. 

According to officials, on November 5, Azhar Janwari, got injured in a hit and run case and subsequently succumbed to his injuries on November 18 at SKIMS hospital in Srinagar. 

The accused, Nadeem Badam of Sopore, was traced by the local police. 

The man later confessed to the offense, they said. 

The Sopore police have urged the public and media to refrain from spreading unverified information that can cause harm to public peace and the investigation progress, the official said. -- PTI

The ruling by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas assumes significance as many Youth Congress activists faced police action for waving black flags at CM Pinarayi Vijayan during the Nava Kerala Sadas, the state government's outreach programme, last year. 

"Though signs and visible representations can be a mode of defaming a person, still, showing or waving a black flag to a person cannot amount to defamation nor is it an illegal act," Justice Thomas said. 

The ruling came while quashing the final report against three persons for waving black flags at Vijayan's convoy in 2017 as it passed through North Paravur near Kochi. 

The court said that, generally, a black flag is shown as a mark of protest and as long as there is no law which prohibits it, such conduct cannot attract the offence of defamation. 

It further said that in the instant case, the offence of defamation was alleged and cognisance was taken on the basis of a police report which were without any legal validity as such action can be initiated only on the basis of a private complaint. 

The court further noted that a reading of the final report indicated that "no obstruction was caused to the Chief Minister's convoy even temporarily, as the police party had blocked and removed the protesters immediately". 

"There is, hence, nothing to indicate that any obstruction was caused by the petitioners even temporarily to any person. Thus, the offence under section 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of IPC is not attracted from the allegations in the final report," it said in its order of November 20. 

 The court also noted that according to the final report, when the accused were protesting, the police prevented them from obstructing the CM's convoy, and in that process, the accused allegedly pushed and pulled at the officers' uniform. -- PTI

The meeting was attended by Congress' Balasaheb Thorat and Satej Patil, Shiv Sena-UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party state unit chief Jayant Patil. 

After the meeting, Patil was seen driving a car with Raut seated beside him, while Satej Patil and Thorat occupied the rear seats. 

The meeting assumes significance since most exit polls have predicted a victory for the ruling Mahayuti, which comprises Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. 

Some pollsters have, however, given the MVA an edge. 

Polling for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly took place on Wednesday. 

Results will be declared on Saturday. -- PTI