Padma Vibhushan Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan passes away at 97; PM Modi condoles

coastaldigest.com news network

April 22, 2021

New Delhi, Apr 22: Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan died on Wednesday, April 21, days after testing positive for the covid-19. He was 97.

Khan was admitted to Delhi's Apollo Hospital on April 12 after being tested positive for the infection, news agency PTI reported quoting family sources.

Born in Azamgarh in 1925, the Maulana was educated at a traditional seminary. A known peacenik who advocated peaceful co-existence and counselled moderation in conduct, he crusaded against extremism and orthodox interpretations of the holy texts. He penned over 200 books, including a commentary and a translation of the Quran in English, Hindi and Urdu. His lectures, many of them available on YouTube, are immensely popular.

Maulana Khan was founder of the Islamic Centre in New Delhi. He had hit the headlines when he gave his ‘peace formula’ for the Babri Masjid-Ramjanambhoomi dispute and asked Muslims to forego their claims on the disputed land in Ayodhya. His request was though rejected by a huge section of his community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his death and said the scholar would be remembered for his "insightful knowledge" on theology and spirituality.

"Saddened by the passing away of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. He will be remembered for his insightful knowledge on matters of theology and spirituality. He was also passionate about community service and social empowerment. Condolences to his family and countless well-wishers. RIP," the PM tweeted.

In January this year, the government had announced that Khan would be awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award. In 2000, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award.

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Adani Group in Crisis: $30 Billion Wiped Out after US Bribery and Fraud Charges Emerge

News Network

November 21,2024

Shares of Adani Group companies lost about $28 billion in market value in morning trade on Thursday after US prosecutors charged the billionaire chairman of the Indian conglomerate in an alleged bribery and fraud scheme.

Gautam Adani's flagship company Adani Enterprises tumbled 23 per cent, while Adani Ports, Adani Total Gas, Adani Green, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar and Adani Energy Solutions, ACC , Ambuja Cements and NDTV fell between 20 per cent and 90 per cent.

Adani group's 10 listed stocks had a total market capitalisation of about $141 billion at 0534 GMT, compared to $169.08 billion on Tuesday.

US authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and develop India's largest solar power plant project.

Adani Green in a statement on Thursday said the US Justice Department had issued a criminal indictment against board members Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani and the Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a civil complaint against them.

The US Justice Department also included Adani Green board member Vneet Jaain in the criminal indictment, it said.

Adani Green's units had decided not to proceed with the proposed US dollar denominated bond offerings due to developments, it added.

"Investors will shy away from Adani Group stocks ... and that's what this sharp selling is signifying," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice president of retail equities research at SMC Global Securities.

"This could hurt the credibility of the group and maybe borrowing costs will rise," he said.

The indictment comes nearly two years after US shortseller Hindenburg Research alleged that Adani had improperly used tax havens and was involved in stock manipulation, allegations the conglomerate denied.

Also in early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down 3c-5c on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack in February 2023.

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