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‘Nakkheeran’ Gopal arrested after Governor’s complaint, set free (Lead)
Chennai, Oct 9 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Police suffered en embarrassment as a court freed senior Tamil journalist “Nakkheeran” Gopal, hours after he was arrested on charges of allegedly defaming Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Gopal, 59, was taken into custody at Chennai airport while waiting to fly to Pune on a complaint from Raj Bhavan.
The police slapped him with Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code. which refers to assault on President or Governor to restrain them from exercising their lawful power.
As his arrest drew widespread condemnation in the state, Chief Metropolitant Magistrate Gopinath rejected a police request for remand of Gopal.
The offending articles published in “Nakkheeran” in May linked the Governor to Nirmala Devi, an Assistant Professor who was arrested for allegedly luring college girls to provide sexual favours to officials of Madurai Kamaraj University.
After his arrest at the airport, Gopal was taken to Chintadripet police station and from there to a hospital for medical check-up before being taken to a court.
Following the release of Gopal, MDMK leader Vaiko, who had been arrested as he protested outside the police station where Gopal was taken to, was also freed.
Gopal’s lawyer V.T. Perumal argued that Section 124 cannot be applied as the police could not prove that the Governor and Gopal had ever met and so there could not have been any “assault” — as defined in the Penal Code.
Interestingly, the court heard senior journalist N. Ram of The Hindu Group who submitted that there was no relation to Secton 124 and the case in question.
Ram told the judge that if such an arrest was allowed, it would set a dangerous precedent and police all over India would resort to this.
And no journalist had been arrested under this section, Ram said.
A grateful Gopal later thanked all political leaders who came out in his support. “I bow to the court which has stood for media freedom,” he told reporters.
The “Nakkheeran” Editor said if the Governor had any complaint about the story his magazine had published, he could have issued a rebuttal or taken recourse to other remedies.
Vaiko demanded to know why BJP leader H. Raja was not arrested for his derogatory remarks about the judiciary and police.
The MDMK leader said Gopal’s arrest was an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party to suppress media freedom.
DMK President M.K. Stalin accused the Modi government and the Tamil Nadu Governor of enforcing an undeclared Emergency in the state.
Stalin earkuer said that the state government was subservient to the central government and demanded the withdrawal of all cases filed against Gopal.
PMK founder S. Ramadoss said if the articles were defamatory, then defamation cases could be filed. Gopal’s arrest was also denounced by actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan.
Gopal was once the emissary of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments to negotiate with sandalwood smuggler Veerappan after the latter abducted Kannda star Rajkumar. Like Veerappan, Gopal’s handlebar moustache became his trademark.
Gopal has also faced several defamation cases filed by the AIADMK government led by the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.