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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 6:07:15 pm

The Financial Magic of 8/8

AI Generated Image If numbers could talk, 8 would speak the language of wealth. When the date doubles into 8/8, it becomes more than another day. It becomes a reminder of financial power, balance and long-term abundance. Yesterday, the calendar read August 8 - 8/8. In astrology and numerology, this date is considered significant. The Lion’s Gate Portal August 8 marks the peak of what is known as the Lion’s Gate Portal - a period believed to carry heightened energy for growth, abundance and...

The Financial Magic of 8/8

AI Generated Image If numbers could talk, 8 would speak the language of wealth. When the date doubles into 8/8, it becomes more than another day. It becomes a reminder of financial power, balance and long-term abundance. Yesterday, the calendar read August 8 - 8/8. In astrology and numerology, this date is considered significant. The Lion’s Gate Portal August 8 marks the peak of what is known as the Lion’s Gate Portal - a period believed to carry heightened energy for growth, abundance and transformation. I am a financial advisor - not an astrologer or numerologist - but I find this date fascinating because of the symbolism attached to the number 8. In numerology, 8 is associated with wealth, power, ambition and balance. It is also linked with discipline, responsibility and karma - the idea that our actions produce results. When the calendar reads 8/8, many believe this energy is doubled. A Financial Checkpoint Whether or not you believe in astrology or numerology, the date can serve as a financial checkpoint - an opportunity to pause, reflect and take steps towards building wealth. I recommend treating 8/8 as a money mirror - a moment to ask yourself: Are my investments aligned with my long-term goals? Is my money working for me, or am I caught in an earn-and-spend cycle? Am I creating lasting wealth, or merely temporary income? Your Mid-Year Money Reset We often make resolutions on January 1. But by August, more than half the year has passed. That makes 8/8 an excellent occasion for a financial reset. Use this weekend for review and action. The intention may begin on a symbolic day, but transformation comes from what you do next. Review your goals and expenses. Make lumpsum investments where appropriate, increase your SIPs, check whether your insurance cover is sufficient and organise your financial documents. Also review your asset allocation. Money meant for long-term goals must be invested in hybrid and equity mutual funds, stocks and gold. Money required for short-term goals should remain in safer options such as bank fixed deposits and recurring deposits. Declutter Your Finances Close unused accounts, cancel unnecessary subscriptions, consolidate scattered investments and ensure that your family knows where financial information is stored. These may seem like small steps, but wealth is rarely created through one dramatic decision. It is built through disciplined actions repeated over many years. The Infinity Connection When the number 8 is turned on its side, it resembles the symbol for infinity - . That is what true investing is about - allowing consistency, patience and compounding to work over long periods. It does not create wealth overnight. Given time, the results can appear magical. Turn Intention Into Action As we move beyond 8/8, do not let the intention remain limited to a date on the calendar. Set a financial intention. Act on it. Review it regularly. Even the largest fortunes begin with focused steps. When your present-day financial actions begin matching your long-term goals, real transformation begins. (The writer is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

Special NIA Court judgement tomorrow

Adv. J. P. Mishra
Adv. J. P. Mishra

Mumbai: Almost 17 years after a bomb blast shook up the communally sensitive Malegaon town in Nashik, a Special Court of National Investigation Agency here will pronounce its final verdict on Thursday July 31, in the sensational case loaded with political overtones.

 

The NIA Special Judge A. K. Lahoti will deliver the much-anticipated judgement tomorrow, when all the accused in the case have been ordered to remain present in the Special Court, said Senior Advocate J. P. Mishra, representing one of the prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

 

“The Special Court had taken time in May to study the huge volume of documents submitted on record during the entire trial. The arguments alone went on for some six months,” the ace criminal lawyer Mishra told ‘The Perfect Voice’, as he prepared for the upcoming red-letter-day.

 

The Special Judge Lahoti had completed the final hearing on April 19 and had summoned all the accused to remain present in the Special Court today, where he disclosed the date of the day of judgement, said Adv. Mishra.

 

The explosion by a powerful bomb - planted on a scooter - took place on Sep. 29, 2008, around 9.35 pm, when Ramzan was in full swing and on the eve of Navratri festival.

 

At least seven persons were killed and 100 others were injured in the blast which came barely two months before the devastating Nov. 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes.

 

A Special Court in Mumbai conducted the trial against the prime accused who include former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

 

The other accused are a retired army intelligence officer Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, ex-army Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.

 

They were booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act pertaining to committing terror act, conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt and promoting enmity between two religious groups.

 

The probe was first conducted by the Nashik Police and later taken over by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), then headed by the 26/11 hero, Hemant Karkare.

 

The ATS filed its chargesheet in 2009 but considering its ramifications, the sensitive case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Dec. 2010. The NIA probed and lodged its chargesheet in May 2013 and also filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2016.

 

The Special Court framed the charges against the seven prime accused on October 30, 2018 and the trial proceeded.

 

Though the NIA investigations aligned with the ATS probe, there were differences on certain aspects and on July 31, 2009, the NIA recommended dropping charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

 

The Special Court accepted the recommendations but the Bombay High Court reinstated the MCOCA charges on July 19, 2010.

 

The hearing of evidence in the case was concluded in Sep. 2023 after examining 323 witnesses, of whom 34 had turned hostile.

 

Others accused in the case – Pravin Takalki, Shyamlal Sahu and Shivnarayan Kalsangra – were discharged from the case for lack of evidence.

 

Two others wanted – Ramchandra Kalsangra who along with Sandeep Dange, both from Indore – for allegedly planting the bomb, reportedly died in police custody, as claimed by a suspended police official, Mehboob Mujawar.

 

Malegaon 2008 blasts – timeline:

September 29, 2008:

A powerful bomb planted on a scooter ripped through a crowded market in the minority-dominated Malegaon town, seven killed and over 100 hurt during Ramzan and ahead of Navratri festivities

 

November 4, 2008:

A serving Indian Army officer Lt. Col. Prasad S. Purohit nabbed as the case assumed political colours with the BJP-Shiv Sena slamming the Congress governments in the state and Centre of political motives

 

Probe reveals that Purohit and the other accused arrested subsequently, were allegedly involved in other terror strikes like the Modasa blast and Malegaon blast (both 2006), Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad and the Samjhauta Express blast (both 2007)

 

January 20, 2009:

The Maharashtra ATS filed a chargesheet against the 14 accused, naming Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Purohit as the key conspirators, and pointing to the involvement of a Hindu group Abhinav Bharat

 

July 31, 2009:

A Mumbai Special Court dropped the MCOCA charges against all the accused

 

July 19, 2010:

Bombay HC reinstated the MCOCA charges against all accused

 

April 13, 2011:

As the probe revealed the involvement of Hindu extremist groups, leading to the coining of a term ‘saffron terror’, the NIA took over the probe, encompassing the earlier 2006-2007 terror blasts, some of which are still being investigated

 

April 15, 2015:

Supreme Court said that the accused could not be charged under MCOCA as there was no evidence as on date and directed the trial court to decide the bail appeals of the accused on merits without applicability of MCOCA within a month

 

June 24, 2015:

The then Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian sparked a sensation claiming she was pressurized to ‘go soft’ in the case

 

April 17, 2017:

The NIA said in SC it would not oppose bail for Purohit as chargesheet already filed even as the charges against Thakur and five others were dropped in 2016 after the NIA told the Special Court there was no evidence against them

 

April 25, 2017:

Bombay HC grants bail to Thakur, but rejected Purohit’s bail plea, and later on Aug. 21, 2017, enlarged him on bail

 

December 27, 2017:

Special NIA Court dropped MCOCA charges against Thakur and Purohit

 

October 30, 2018:

Charges framed against the seven accused

 

October 3, 2024:

Prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur’s Senior Advocate J. P. Mishra makes a sensational claim that the Malegaon 2008 blasts may have been engineered by the outlawed SIMI.

 

July 25, 2024:

Final hearing begins in the case before the Special NIA Court

 

April 19, 2025:

Special NIA Court completes hearing and Special Judge A. K. Lahoti fixes JULY 31 as judgement day for the Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case.

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