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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now,...

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now, educated Muslims are being picked out for orchestrated allegations and media campaigns. This doesn’t augur well for society and justice itself with the media playing the role of the judge and jury,” said Owaisi sharply. Flanked by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen state President Imtiaz Jaleel, Owaisi also emphatically said that it was wrong to link his party with the TCS case prime accused Nida Khan, “who will be ultimately proven innocent in the courts”. He expressed concerns over the slur campaign driven by malice and political motives against his party as well as Nida Khan in some sections of the media even before the investigations were completed or a judicial scrutiny. “Merely because some allegations have been hurled at a young woman professional, attempts are being made to paint her ‘guilty’ through media trials, even before judicial scrutiny. But, we have complete faith in the judiciary and are confident that the court will eventually exonerate her,” asserted Owaisi. Public Discourse Raising questions on the probe and accompanying public discourse with stress on the alleged recovery of certain ‘evidence’ from Nida Khan’s home, he sharply questioned: “Since when have a burqa, a niqab or religious literature become objectionable… Is wearing a hijab now regarded as evidence of a crime?” He said that these details along with baseless allegations are sensationalism in the media to create further prejudice against the minority community and reflected a deep-rooted hostility aimed at harassing educated Muslim men and women. Owaisi pointed out that a complaint in the TCS Nashik case was filed by a leader linked with the ruling party, and as per the software giant’s statement, Nida Khan was not with its HR Department and transferred even before the controversy erupted, contradicting several media reports. Of the nine cases lodged in the matter till date, in one case, she was accused of hurting religious sentiments, but nobody can comment on it before the court pronounces its verdict, he pointed out. Court Fight Dismissing attempts to drag and link the AIMIM into the row, he referred to a party Municipal Corporator Matin Patel who was booked merely on the basis of certain allegations and vowed to contest the matter in the court. Here Owaisi cited multiple examples of educated Muslims being scrutinised – including in Delhi when some educated youths were arrested for possessing a book by the legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and they were later released. There was another one from Allahabad where some Muslim boys were targeted for writing an Urdu ‘sher’ (couplet) prompting judicial intervention, and predicted that even in the Nashik TCS case, the truth will ultimately prevail as no criminal charges against Nida Khan may stand. AIMIM to set up voter help-desks AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi said his party is developing a digital application containing electoral records of all 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra for 2002-2024, to help voters in the SIR process. For this, the AIMIM will set up help desk centers in its strongholds to facilitate the process and ensure proper utilisation of voter data. Alleging discrepancies in electoral records, he said such errors create huge problems for the voters, especially the poor or illiterates. Owaisi mentioned how of the nearly 27 lakh names placed in the adjudication list in West Bengal, “90 pc were poor Muslims.” These centers would be open for all Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis and the general public needing assistance with the electoral records.

Office market posts record leasing

Mumbai: India’s office real estate market delivered its strongest-ever performance in 2025, with gross leasing touching an all-time high of 86.4 million sq ft, marking a 20 per cent year-on-year growth, according to Knight Frank India’s India Real Estate – Office and Residential Market (H2 2025) report. The year not only surpassed the previous peak recorded in 2024 but also stood 43 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels of 2019, underscoring the structural strengthening of occupier demand across major cities.


The surge was broad-based, with five of the eight tracked markets crossing the 10 million sq ft annual leasing threshold, reflecting the growing depth and geographic diversification of India’s office ecosystem. Bengaluru retained its leadership position, registering a historic 28.7 million sq ft of leasing—its highest ever—driven largely by global technology firms and Global Capability Centres (GCCs). Hyderabad, NCR, Pune and Chennai also recorded their best or near-best annual performances, while Mumbai narrowly missed the 10 million sq ft mark.


Leasing momentum remained robust throughout the year. H2 2025 accounted for 37.5 million sq ft, second only to the exceptionally strong first half, indicating sustained occupier confidence and long-term commitment to Indian office assets. This resilience came despite global economic uncertainty, reinforcing India’s standing as a preferred destination for corporate expansion.


Global Capability Centres

A defining feature of 2025 was the dominance of Global Capability Centres, which emerged as the largest occupier segment. GCCs accounted for 38 per cent of total leasing, or nearly 32 million sq ft, consolidating India’s position as a global hub for research, development and high-value services. Bengaluru alone captured almost half of total GCC absorption, followed by Hyderabad and Chennai, highlighting the concentration of advanced talent pools in these cities.


Other demand drivers also showed strong recovery. Third-party IT services leasing nearly doubled year-on-year, reaching over 15 million sq ft, supported by accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence and digital transformation across global enterprises. Flexible workspace operators recorded their highest-ever absorption, with close to 19 million sq ft leased, reflecting occupiers’ preference for scalable and managed workplace solutions amid evolving work strategies.


While demand surged, new office completions lagged, rising a more modest 9% year-on-year to 54.8 million sq ft. Bengaluru and Pune together accounted for more than half of new supply additions. The supply-demand mismatch kept vacancy levels in check and strengthened landlords’ pricing power, resulting in rental growth across all major markets.


Commenting on the performance, Knight Frank India Chairman and Managing Director Shishir Baijal said the 2025 cycle represented more than a numerical high, pointing instead to a “structural shift” in how global and domestic enterprises view India as a long-term business destination. The fact that multiple large markets simultaneously touched historic peaks, he noted, highlights the maturity and resilience of the country’s office ecosystem.

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