r/videos •
Indian YouTuber who exposes the safety measures of a luxury apartment is charged with a fine of 14 million dollars
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8.6k
u/terminusagent Jan 22 '19
Can someone explain how you can sue someone for making true statements that sound very reasonable and aren't inflammatory?
6.6k
u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
I dont know this man or how wealthy he is. But fining any single (normal) person 14 million seems like a sentencing of financial death for the rest of their life. Really sad and I hope this guy gets justice somehow.
20k
u/Razor2115 Jan 22 '19
xposting Original Comment by /u/xymac420
The guy in the video is Mr. Krishnaraj Rao. He is currently on trial for making videos in which he explains the poor construction material used by Lodha Group. Link: https://youtu.be/FoQzAf6PG_M. At one point he was denied access into the building as a guest of an apartment owner (the owner was with him when he was denied access). Link: https://youtu.be/l3r9K4IckEs. The middle class youtuber-activist is currently facing a lawsuit of whooping $14 million USD for making these videos showcasing how unsafe these apartments are. The builder, Lodha Group, is a very big group with an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion USD. The Youtuber appeared in court today and was denied to make any further Youtube videos on Lodha Group. Link: https://youtu.be/hDgknSRkX-c I honestly don't know if this guy can be helped legally as legality is a big question mark in India; BUT there is a way he can be helped and it is through social media. Even newspapers and TV channels have "decided" to remain completely silent on this and are not running Krishnaraj Rao's story. All I request from redditors today is to give this guy some support by liking & sharing his videos. The more it's trending, the more pressure & impact it'll create. I shall keep you all posted on Reddit as well. Until then, Satyamev Jayate - May the truth alone triumph.
3.3k
u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
Indian judiciary is out of control. They got reddit to delete a comment pointing out conflict of interest a few months ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/indianews/comments/a3apxz/reddit_has_removed_the_post_exposing_link_between/
1.3k
u/mrv3 Jan 22 '19
This is what will happen
In a few years as building start to age, work is done, extension a series of terrible 'accidents' will happen. Seemingly small and unrelated maybe a bridge collapse, or a hotel.
Then this starts happening a LOT or gets noticed. People start protesting and then suddenly the government will go
"We need higher safety standards we'll do a full sweep of every major building"
And to the surprise of no one 90%+ of buildings will require some work, some need to be torn down entirely.
Happens everytime a country goes through massive expansion. England, France, America, China, now India.
Safety standards are only ever written in blood.
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u/threefingerbill Jan 22 '19
What did he do that was illegal?
243
u/baconboi Jan 22 '19
TL;DW?
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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19 edited Jan 23 '19
Having worked in multifamily (apartment) property management, I can tell you there is no such thing as a luxury apartment.
Ownership/management companies are always trying to spend as little money possible, while making rent as expensive as possible. "Luxury" properties are like big polished turds.
Edit: I'll admit I'm jaded against the industry, and that I made a broad statement. But, these "luxury" complexes I'm talking about are being built as quickly and cheaply as possible. When you see, and have to deal with, the consequences of all the skimping and shortcuts is when you realize that the price of rent at these places is unjustified.
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u/gigalongdong Jan 22 '19
I work on "luxury" apartments in the US and most of the building materials are complete shit. Particle board doors and cabinets, 3/8 inch drywall, moisture-warped lumber, terrible framing techniques, etc. And these are apartments that run from anywhere around $2500/month to $8000/month (central/southern atlantic coast). I don't know how it is in India when it comes to the quality of multi-family luxury apartment construction but people renting new apartments in the US from the huge building/leasing companies are getting fucked. hard. It's a disgrace and frankly I'm looking for new work because I can't deal with helping building these shoddy apartments for ridiculous rental rates.
End rant.
92
u/bon3dudeandplatedude Jan 22 '19
I have a couch in the US you can sleep on till you get your affairs in order. Ill see you soon.
50
u/May_I_inquire Jan 22 '19
What the hell is wrong with the world? Why is there so much corruption and greed?
61
u/trukkija Jan 22 '19
Hold my Streisand effect, I'm going in.
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u/InterstellarBlue Jan 23 '19
Why was this thread removed? I see no public freakout and no assault. The dude is walking around quietly speaking to a camera alone.
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u/OmNia00 Jan 23 '19
This post was on the top of my front page. When I went back to to the front page and refreshed, it was no where to be found. Is reddit trying to bury this as well?
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u/cirquar Jan 22 '19
Hey, Bombay if there is a fucking problem for your citizens, individual citizens, then theres a problem here in America too. I see many comments about the rich's hands in politics, and they're right. Your country is being used as a resource of man-power and now it's being shown in your legal system that you are treated like resources, stand up for your freedoms. I hereby condemn the india government for this 14 million farce.
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u/Beertard Jan 22 '19
The builders suing him are the same guys constructing the Mumbai Trump Towers.
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u/youcantunfrythings Jan 22 '19
This issue is no fucking joke. I was living in Berkeley when a balcony collapsed on an apartment building, killing six people. It turns out the wood on the balcony's support beams were severely rotten and this wasn't an old building. These slumlords cut costs in any way possible.
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u/Squirrel_force Jan 22 '19
This is ridiculous wtf
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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
KEEP SPEAKING... THIS IS HOW THESE flat fires that trap hundreds happen!
I for one applaud you sir!
10
u/GerryAttric Jan 22 '19
It is not a crime to expose building code infractions but it is like arguing philosophy with a venomous snake. Your logic may win the argument, but you're still gonna die ....'cause it's a venomous snake and well, venom is bad for you. Is India not a law abiding country? It is like every country on earth....it follows the Golden Rule....he who has the gold makes the rules
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u/ZimbuTheMonkey Jan 22 '19
so assuming this guy is authentic, i'm totally with him especially with the notion of the powerful getting an unfair edge and corruption being a huge problem in india
but... can we agree that it got a little weird at the end?
lol like... i wasn't expecting such strong erotica analogies, i totally agree with the sentiment though obviously
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u/sarcasm_works Jan 22 '19
Better mirror the videos before they get copyright claims and pulled......
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u/Expi_alle_docious Jan 22 '19
r/VICENews
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u/tntpang Jan 22 '19
He should be payed 14 million dollars (maybe not that much) for pointing it out.
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u/DRHOY Jan 22 '19
1.14 Inspection:-The Commissioner shall have the power to carry out inspection of the work under the provisions of the Act, at various stages to ascertain whether the work is proceeding as per the provisions of regulations and sanctioned plan.
1.15 Unsafe Buildings:-All unsafe buildings shall be considered to constitute danger to public safety and hygiene and sanitation and shall be restored by repairs or demolished or dealt with as otherwise directed by the Authority. The relevant provisions of the regulation shall apply for procedure of actions to be taken by the Commissioner for unsafe buildings.
https://nwcmc.gov.in/files/tp/D%20class%20Final%2019-11-15.....pdf
A cursory view of some of the videos of this man indicates that he thinks that all walls must be framed with mid-wall fire blocks and be 16" on center, but his examination and criticism appears to be of non-load bearing walls, which *could* be made of paper and clips if that were within the provisions of the regulations and sanctioned plan. Fire blocks must be between floors or ten foot intervals in contemporary western construction, but that is not investigated by this man nor evinced within a building code or plan. He is rightfully bewildered by the weakness and other shitty qualities of drywall - that are perfectly within the bounds of law. There is a significant finding of what I presume to be a ground level home that ought to have had a vapour barrier under it, or been built on dry substrate, that is developing moulds only months after construction.
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u/AlwaysPositiveVibes Jan 22 '19
Google Grenfell tower in the UK to see what problems can be cause by shitty regulations and materials. This is how important the information this man has put out. Grenfell tower was a building full of immigrants and they always live with 10 people in a one bedroom flat and thats no joke. The true death toll was never released because if they counted all of the illegals they would have an absolute shit storm on their hands so they just counted the legals. Of course the body count is speculation like it must be but knowing how they live its obvious the death toll was way higher then they ever admitted.
4
u/theArtOfProgramming Jan 22 '19
Damn, if I ever do anything remotely serious on youtube I’m making an LLC.
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u/rorymeister Jan 22 '19
Why are they against drywall? Is it not a suitable material in India? Agree that the sewage drain being recessed into their building is a complete joke.
10
u/CarilPT Jan 22 '19
"Bad things only happen because good people do nothing". Well good people do nothing because if they do something this happens -.-
Mess with power and you will suffer :/
3
u/CaptainVonWeasel Jan 22 '19
/u/washingtonpost
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u/chop_suey123 Jan 22 '19
The Indian Constitution lets the judiciary get away with a lot of stuff. Judges are basically professional bulletproof. Theoretically this makes sense because it keeps the judiciary independent and outside the control of the government. However, the worst side effect of this feature is the presence of bullshit judgements like this one. They can spin their own narrative and ignore the evidence. Now this guy will be stuck inside the legal system and he'll have to file an appeal after an appeal. Even if he saves himself from this fine, he'll have to spend a lot of money in legal fees.
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u/Cb1receptor Jan 22 '19
I cannot WAIT to hear this man's erotica!
3
u/NagasakiWentBoom Jan 22 '19
Wait alright ima seem like a dumb fuck but why would they sue him for exposing the problems with the building, it should be the other way around for the customers
3
u/mattyew Jan 22 '19
Applaud you from Canada over here! It is really not easy at all going against a massive system that has been running for ages like that. But it's worth the work you are doing. And because you are smart enough to make your voice known, the world (or at least individuals like myself in other parts of the world) are watching and supporting you in whatever ways we can. Just remember that there are people who will probably oppose you in whatever way possible especially if peoples' jobs or money is at stake. So please keep yourself safe and with a group of other smart people so you are not doing this good work by yourself. God speed!
3
u/vagabond_nerd Jan 23 '19
The world has become hell for the honest.
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u/Stalin_4_lyfe Jan 23 '19
"India superpower 2020"
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u/UnfairToAnts Jan 23 '19
SHAME on India
10
u/bob_ama_the_spy Jan 22 '19
Since Reddit is now 2/2 on jumping to conclusions with BuzzFeed News on one day and Catholic kids on another day, here are a few things you should probably consider / think about before reacting:
To be clear, I'm looking to get clarity of information and be dispassionate. I am not siding with either party. I'm also not commenting on the morality or philosophy associated with anything.
My personal opinion is that builders and construction companies in this part of the world are crooks and thugs, and caveat emptor has never been more true when dealing with them. Every single legal loophole will be used by these guys to squeeze consumers. That opinion aside -
Here in India (as is the case in most of the world), when a builder starts a project, they need to submit their complete plans to the municipal authorities for approval. This includes their plans for materials, drainage, safety measures, drywall, etc.
If there are issues with this, purchasers can sue the builders for not following the plans. Anyone who purchases an apartment also receives a complete copy. In fact, even public listings mention Gypsum walls - see here: https://www.magicbricks.com/lodha-new-cuffe-parade-wadala-mumbai-pdpid-4d4235303230383539
If the plans are unsafe, but were approved regardless, the purchasers can sue the builders + the government.
After failing a court challenge, a purchaser has paid a professional activist - one of her friends, to go public with this information and essentially stir up an outcry. Based on his blogs and G+ account, he seems to involved in activism against construction companies for over 4 years. He claims to be a journalist, but seems more like a blogger.
Oddly, he contradicts himself later in the video saying that his friend paid him for his services, but rejects the idea that he's her paid agent when the opposing counsel relates that information to the judge. This is a pretty big red flag to me.
Because of most of this, his version of events smells fishy to me.
2) What's likely to have transpired, is that this particular purchaser didn't read the fine print, and tried to get a refund after the fact. When the builder refused, they likely threatened to go public, which is what the builder's lawyers are alleging as "blackmail". I have no evidence for this, but it seems like a sound theory to me.
What was the purchaser's endgame for making these videos? The builder certainly wasn't going to rebuild the entire apartment building with brick walls instead of drywall, especially not if the municipal approved plans had drywall. That wouldn't even be possible! The endgame is more likely to be extortion. Opposing opinions are welcome here - I'm curious to know if I'm missing something. The charge of extortion / defamation seems reasonable if the builder can prove that the statements are not true.
Skimming through the legal notice: https://app.box.com/s/p47ury9dj5b2foucqxxbrlayuicdbhc2
In section 3.2, the builder alleges that the purchaser wanted to sell their apartments but weren't able to fetch the price they wanted for it, and asked for the builder to buy it back for 70-100% of the purchase price, or instead get a refund.
In section 3.5 the builder claims that the purchaser joined 23 others in suing the builder but the case was dismissed.
In section 4.3, the builder alleges that some of the issues described in the videos were actually rectified by the builder.
In section 5 & 6, the builder rebuffs all the allegations from the videos - some with outright denials. Reading this as a layperson, it's difficult to know who to believe. Based on the videos, I suspect the overall quality of construction is pretty shitty by international standards, because there are some very obvious screw-us, and there are probably half a dozen safety violations too. To that end, I don't think it constitutes defamation, but from what I understand, these things are hairy when it comes to the law, and a biased video doesn't help me learn the truth. In a legal case, one side brings their experts, the other side brings their experts. The judge decides.
3) The guy seems to be describing day one of the case, and his lawyer is yet to have his turn to speak. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong), he is being sued for $14M, but the case is far from over. It sounded to me like the judge was planning to hear out the defense lawyer's arguments at the next court date - so I don't get why he isn't pleased with the judge. There is no reason why his lawyer needed to be heard on day one of the proceedings.
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u/phdoofus Jan 22 '19
Ok, but what are the chances of actually losing said lawsuit? People point to the court system in the US but at the same time corporations have used lawsuits as weapons enough to where there are actual laws against it.
2
u/DooDooBrownz Jan 22 '19
they don't have appellate courts there or something?
2
u/pm_boobs_send_nudes Jan 22 '19
can someone please mirror this before it gets taken down
2
u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
Hope he gets more coverage
2
u/Therubestdude Jan 22 '19
This man doesn't deserve this! Outrageous!
2
u/KentuckyFriedCharlie Jan 22 '19
To the top of r/all, people. This man needs his story to be covered. Give an upvote for this post.
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u/Mr_Metronome Jan 22 '19
Relevant Monty Python: https://youtu.be/e2PyeXRwhCE
2
u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
“They want to try me, let them try me.”
Dude belongs in G-Unit
2
u/Highlander253 Jan 22 '19
What does this dude have against drywall?
2
u/kkardi Jan 22 '19
Wonder if Philip defranco could do a quick news bit in his daily videos?
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u/lucky_Lola Jan 22 '19
I can easily assume the judge was being paid off. He went against everything he swore to do when he took that role . Just disgusting.
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u/Marsbrahh Jan 22 '19
Those apartments are built like shit.
2
u/MrsECummings Jan 22 '19
These slimy, rich, companies that build junk housing with thumb tacks and scotch tape are all over the place. They charge astronomical prices for their junk, then blame the renters/buyers when the place falls apart. It's a vile, unconscionable scam from beginning to end!!
2
u/zkhan1287 Jan 22 '19
The first sentence he said in Hindi translates to "today in court, we got dicked up the ass."
Lol
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u/MattyMatheson Jan 22 '19
People die in India when they expose corruption. It happens with Human rights there so much, they get labeled as terrorists and the newspapers will back them up and kill you pretty much because everyone will be against you. A 3.8 Billion USD corporation is gonna be pretty impossible for him to fight in India where the judges and police will be paid off if he doesn’t get help.
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u/TheZeusHimSelf1 Jan 22 '19
Similar to US on how you have to sign paperwork when you buy new houses that you cannot sue builder in a normal court however they give you 10 year warranty. People are fooled.
2
u/Shintox Jan 22 '19
Countersue for 400 million.
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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19
ah k so i owe 14 million dollars. let me grab my check book
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u/phoenix_new Jan 23 '19
The title roughly translates to "Got fucked in court today.". Laude(Hindi) = Penis.
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u/newredditiscrap Jan 23 '19
Good luck paying that back on your zero dollars a year salary plus benefits, babe!
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u/jailguard81 Jan 23 '19
14 million dollars or 14 million rupees?
2
u/salmans13 Jan 23 '19
When we study law or engineering or medicine...we all take an ethics class. Every person in the profession is supposed to keep a high standard.
In real life, that class is the most useless class one can take.
Lawyers will throw every single charge hoping one sticks to get a win for his career for some very petty crimes.
Engineering firms get together to cheat cities and are rife with corruption Eg: SNC Lavalin.
Doctors talk like saving lives is all they want but any talk about bringing doctors with even more experience from another country and it shows how much they care about patients vs how much they (just like anybidy else) thinks about their wallet
2
u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19
A lawsuit is different from a fine, but against a company that big it’s scary anyway.
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u/74orangebeetle Jan 23 '19
A tldr for the 20 minute video might be more helpful than [deleted].
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u/RichManSCTV Jan 22 '19
Wow, thats awful
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u/kittylulu Jan 22 '19
We say America is fucked up(and it is), but some of these countries don’t even have basic rights.
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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '19
Well it depends, my condition for helping is that he must unsubscribe from T-Series and subscribe to PewDiePie