Asaram lawyer Jethmalani loses the argument on Twitter with 'girl has a disease' remark

September 17, 2013
Jodhpur, Sep 17: Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, one of India's top legal minds, may need to defend himself against Twitter users who are criticising him for his controversial statement about a girl who has accused self-styled godman Asaram of sexual assault.
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Jethmalani, while arguing for Asaram's bail in the Rajasthan high court on Monday, said the girl was afflicted with a disease "which draws a woman to a man". He also claimed the police complaint filed against Asaram and age of the girl had been fabricated.

Reaction on social media was immediate and angry. "Ram Jethmalani is a vicious combination of Thakral of Meri Jung and Chadhdha of Damini," tweeted @indiantweeter, referring to much reviled lawyers of Bollywood cinema.

"Ram Jethmalani has a disease that attracts him to defending scumbags," tweeted @anupknair.

Jethmalani, 90, was called a lawyer for Mogambos, another infamous Bollywood movie villain, and much worse.

People made fun of his age and competence in court. "Martians planted mind control chip in Asaram's brain, argues defence lawyer Ram Jethmalani," tweeted journalist Praveen Swami.

"Dear oh dear, Ram Jethmalani showing that even leading lawyers can be desperately out of form," tweeted cricket writer and analyst Harsha Bhogle.

"Girl has 'disease' that draws her to men.' Then men raped her to cure the disease?" tweeted writer Taslima Nasreen.

People compared Jethmalani to Delhi lawyer AP Singh, who had made a controversial statement about the December 16 Delhi gang-rape victim while defending convicts in the case. "If Delhi Bar Association can contemplate action on Singh post Dec 16 verdict, can't imagine y they shouldn't act on Jethmalani," said @Punditmusings.

A 16-year-old girl on August 20 had lodged a police complaint, accusing Asaram of sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Jodhpur.

Asaram was arrested from his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and brought to Jodhpur Sep 1.

Immediately after his arrest, Asaram filed an application for bail in the same court, which rejected the plea September 4. Asaram apparently hired Jethmalani after losing his bail plea before lower courts.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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