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Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027

Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday

oppn parties

Arresting Kiku Sharda: Don't Kill Laughter

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2016-01-16 12:13:44

About the Author

Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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Arresting actor Kiku Sharda for mimicking Ram Rahim was an act of stupidity. Interpreting criminal law in a manner that it will take away laughter from the people is in itself a criminal act. There are millions of babas in our country, each claiming a sizeable following. If politicians can be mimicked on TV (see the hilarious animations on Aaj Tak and India Today TV channels), what is the problem in mimicking babas. Self-styled godmen are not God â if their actions are mimicked, religious feelings are not hurt. It is only the personal feelings of a few thousand followers that are supposedly hurt. A narrow interpretation of Sec 295A of the IPC is not in the interest of society.

Further, Sharda is just an artist. He was carrying out the task assigned to him. As he rightly pointed out, the script was written by someone else, the costume was designed by another person and the act was directed by yet another person. The show was aired by the channel. He was just performing. If at all anyone was to be arrested, it was people who conceived the show and aired it. Even that would have been against the spirit of Sec 295A.

We need to take comedy in our stride. Cartoonists and mimickry artistes have a job to do. They will take things out of current affairs, weave it around a personality and create their acts. If we cannot take it in the right spirit, there is something certainly wrong with us. Laughter is a vanishing commodity. These artistes are doing their bit in keeping it alive. A few more arrests like this and our TV screens will once again become dull and drab.

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