Shahnawaz Hussain

Shahnawaz Hussain is an Indian politician who works in the Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party. His full name is Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

He is a national spokesperson for the B.J.P. (Bharatiya Janata Party). He served as both the Minister of Textiles and the Minister of Civil Aviation during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration. He was the Minister of Industries in the Government of Bihar from February 9, 2021, to August 9, 2022.

Early Life and Education

Syed Hussain was born on December 12, 1968, in Supaul, Bihar. Nasima Khatoon and Syed Nasir Hussain are the parents of Shahnawaz Hussain. He earned his Diploma in Electronics Engineering from B.S.S.E., Supaul, and I.T.I., Pusa, Delhi. He married Renu Sharma on December 12, 1994, and the couple has two sons.

Political Career

Syed Shahnawaz Hussain was elected as a member of the 13th Lok Sabha from the Kishanganj constituency in 1999. He was appointed Minister of State in the Third Vajpayee Ministry. He held a number of ministries, including the development of human resources, youth affairs, and the food processing industries at various phases.

In 2001, he was given independent leadership of the Ministry of Coal. In September of the same year, he was promoted to Cabinet Minister with the Civil Aviation portfolio, making him one of the youngest Cabinet Ministers in the entire history of the Indian government.

He later served as Cabinet Minister for Textiles from 2003 to 2004. He is frequently referred to as "The Original Youth Leader."

Despite ranking last in the 2004 general elections, he got re-elected to the Lok Sabha in a by-election in November of 2006. He was fulfilling a vacancy in the Bhagalpur constituency in Bihar.

He was re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur in 2009.

He stood for Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur again in 2014 but lost by a very small margin. He helped Bhagalpur become a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart Cities Initiative. His efforts caused the Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express to be routed to Naughachia Railway Station.

Shahnawaz Hussain was elected to the Bihar Legislative Council on January 21, 2021. He was appointed cabinet minister in the seventh Nitish Kumar Cabinet on February 9, 2021. He was the Minister of Industries in the Bihar government.

Controversy

The Supreme Court dismissed Shahnawaz Hussain's petition against the Delhi High Court's order to submit an F.I.R. in a rape charge filed against him in 2018 and launch an investigation in response to a woman's rape claim. The Supreme Court declared that it would not interfere with the high court's decision and that Mr. Hussain, a former Union minister, is free to pursue all legal remedies.

In 2018, a Delhi-based lady filed an F.I.R. against Mr. Hussain for alleged rape, and the B.J.P. member Syed Shahnawaz Hussain denied the claim. Later, a magistrate's court ordered the filing of an F.I.R. against Mr. Hussain, finding that the complaint was an identifiable crime. A BJP leader argued against this in front of a sessions court, but it was rejected.

A panel of Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta told Mr. Hussain's legal representative to have a proper investigation. If no evidence is found, Hussain will be able to justify himself. After the investigation, Senior legal representatives Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra told the court that the woman had filed a complaint after a complaint against Mr. Hussain. "Police have investigated complaint after complaint, but nothing has been discovered." Mr. Rohatgi warned that it cannot continue, adding that Mr. Hussain has been made the target of "a number of consistent attacks."

During the hearing, the Supreme Court noted that the complainant's testimony had not yet been recorded, as required by section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which regulates confessions and statements made before a magistrate.

Mr. Luthra stated that the complainant was dating Mr. Hussain's brother. Shahnawaz Hussain stated that she may have all her grudges against his brother, but he refused to be tortured to such lengths.

The woman said in her complaint that she met Shahbaz Hussain while working for an N.G.O. and that Shahbaz identified himself as the B.J.P. leader's brother. The woman stated that she "developed intimacy" with Shahbaz Hussain after he agreed to marry her. She further alleged that he married her in front of a maulvi in January 2017, but she later found out that the maulvi produced a fake marriage certificate.

The woman stated that she afterward realized that he had been married the entire time. After a magistrate's court denied the woman's request for an F.I.R. to be registered on her complaint, she went before a second session judge on May 31, that Shahbaz Hussain had, in fact, committed a serious crime and asked the Delhi Police to file an F.I.R. and carry out an investigation.

Shahnawaz Hussain and his brother filed a petition with the Delhi High Court arguing the sessions court's decision, claiming that the judge in the complainant's criminal revision appeal did not issue any notice.

Mr. Rohatgi also pointed out that the woman had filed complaints against Mr. Hussain in different courts, including Patna.

Mr. Hussain's legal representation called the complaint "fake" and "malicious" during an earlier court appearance.

Mr. Hussain's appeal was denied by the Supreme Court, which declared, "There is no merit in the current plea." The petition was turned down. The temporary orders (suspending the action against Hussain) have been revoked. Please file the F.I.R. as soon as possible. The investigations will be completed within three months, and a full report required by Section 173 CrPC will be provided to the qualified MM (Metropolitan Magistrate). The high court further noted that while the police status report mentioned the statement being recorded four times, no explanation was provided for why the F.I.R. was not filed.

"The F.I.R. simply starts the process." It is the beginning point for the investigation into the suspected offense. Police can't determine whether an offense was committed and, if so, by whom until their investigations are completed. According to the high court, the police appeared unwilling to register an F.I.R. in the current case.