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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Man gets death for minor’s rape, murder

Mumbai | Nashik: A Nashik Special Fast Track Court has awarded the death sentence to a 25-year old man who was convicted last week for luring a 4-year-old girl with a chocolate, kidnapping, raping and murdering her, here on Friday. Terming the case as the ‘rarest of rare’ crimes, the Special Judge K. D. Paldewar – who had found Vijay Sanjay Khairnar guilty of kidnap, sexual assault and murdering the child on Sep. 30 but reserved the verdict after the final arguments on Oct. 7 – pronounced the...

Man gets death for minor’s rape, murder

Mumbai | Nashik: A Nashik Special Fast Track Court has awarded the death sentence to a 25-year old man who was convicted last week for luring a 4-year-old girl with a chocolate, kidnapping, raping and murdering her, here on Friday. Terming the case as the ‘rarest of rare’ crimes, the Special Judge K. D. Paldewar – who had found Vijay Sanjay Khairnar guilty of kidnap, sexual assault and murdering the child on Sep. 30 but reserved the verdict after the final arguments on Oct. 7 – pronounced the capital punishment today. He also slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakhs as compensation to the victim’s family, hailing from Dongrale village before a packed courtroom where the villagers, the victim’s family and others were present. Emerging from the courtroom after the verdict, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the media that “the Court had considered the gravity of the crime and the circumstantial evidence establishing Khairnar’s involvement” while deciding the sentence. The Court did not take into account the convict’s poverty – he was a daily wager – or illiteracy as grounds for leniency, added the ace criminal lawyer. It was on Nov. 16, 2025 in Dongrale village of Malegaon taluka when Khairnar lured the little girl on the promise of giving her a chocolate and took her to a desolate spot to carry out his devious plans. Betraying the trust of the child who used to call him ‘dada’ (elder brother) due to their acquaintance, Khairnar sexually assaulted her, killed her and abandoned her before decamping from there. A few hours later, the child’s body was found dumped in a nullah and the police were summoned. As details of the gruesome crime tumbled out and spread, it ignited widespread public outrage all over the state. The police swung into action, formed several probe teams and managed to track down Khairnar from his hideout within a few hours. Considering the sensitivity of the crime, the strong emotions plus the mass furore it created, the state government assigned the case to a fast-track court, assigned Nikam as the SPP and the matter was heard speedily. The SPP aggressively led the prosecution, arguing in the court that in view of the gravity of the crime, the circumstances leading to it and other aspects, it warranted the severest punishment – death – for Khairnar, irrespective of his age or financial status. The Dongrale villagers stood in solidarity with the victim’s family and they raised a chorus for quick investigations, an expeditious trial and slapping the death penalty on the convict to serve as a strong deterrent to potential offenders. As per the Indian law, the trial court’s verdict will now go to the Bombay High Court for confirmation. Political leaders from different parties hailed the court verdict and said “justice has finally been done to the victim’s family”.

Saudi Arabia reopens Hajj Portal for 10,000 Indian pilgrims after government intervention

Correspondent
Apr 15, 2025
2 min read


The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) on Tuesday said that the Saudi Hajj Ministry has agreed to reopen the Hajj (Nusuk) Portal for Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs) to allow 10,000 more pilgrims, based on the current availability of space in Mina.


MoMA has given urgent instructions to CHGOs to complete their formalities without any delay.


According to the ministry, CHGOs had missed key deadlines set by Saudi authorities and failed to finalize contracts for camps in Mina, as well as for accommodation and transport, despite being reminded several times.


However, after the Indian government stepped in, the Saudi Hajj Ministry agreed to reopen the portal to accommodate 10,000 pilgrims.


This decision comes shortly after a Times of India report said the Hajj plans of around 52,000 Indian pilgrims were in limbo after Saudi Arabia canceled Mina zones earlier allotted to private tour operators.


As per India’s Haj Policy 2025, 70% of the total Hajj quota will be managed by the Hajj Committee of India, while the remaining 30% will be handled by private Hajj Group Organisers.


The ministry said Saudi Arabia has allotted a total quota of 1,75,025 (1.75 lakh) Hajj pilgrims to India for 2025.


Last week, Minority Affairs Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar, along with Joint Secretary CPS Bakshi, visited Jeddah to review India’s Hajj preparations on the ground.


Earlier, Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited Saudi Arabia from January 11 to 14. During the visit, he took part in key discussions related to Hajj preparations.


His visit included signing the Bilateral Agreement for Hajj 2025, attending the opening session of the Hajj and Umrah Conference and Exhibition, and holding meetings with top Saudi officials.


When is Hajj 2025?

Hajj in 2025 is expected to take place between June 4 and June 9, depending on the sighting of the moon that marks the start of Zil-Hajj, the final month of the Islamic calendar.

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