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Bangalore news LIVE updates: Ramalinga Reddy says he is still in Congress; Sowmya Reddy attends CLP meet

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Bangalore news LIVE updates: Get the latest updates on Bangalore traffic, Bangalore weather, the events in Bangalore today and much more in our daily live blog.

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High drama is expected to continue in and outside the state capital, Bengaluru, as the political crisis in Karnataka continues to take centre stage on the fourth day since MLAs started tendering mass resignations.

The two independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh resigning from the Kumaraswamy cabinet and extending support to the BJP has reduced the Karnataka coalition government to a minority, while there are speculations that senior Congress leader Roshan Baig might be the next turncoat to make way to the BJP camp.

Article on -Coalition trouble HD Kumaraswamy Back, Deve Gowda Heads Karnataka Crisis,’13 MLAs will not withdraw resignation’: Rebel Cong MLA ST.Somashekar :

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 Pramesh Jain 

Coalition trouble :HD Kumaraswamy Back, Deve Gowda Heads Karnataka Crisis,’13 MLAs will not withdraw resignation’: Rebel Cong MLA ST.Somashekar :
Highlights :
* Karnataka Drama: Defiant rebel MLAs refuse to take back resignation, say they won’t attend CLP meet
* Amid high drama in Bengaluru, Karnataka Congress MLA ST Somasekhar on Sunday, told the media that there was no question ‘withdrawing their resignations’.
* Nine legislators from the Congress and three from the JD(S) handed their resignations to the assembly speaker
* It would bring the one-year-old coalition government led by chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on the brink of a collapse
* The Congress and Janata Dal Secular have been holding a series of meetings since morning to consider the possibility of saving the government after 11 legislators from the ruling coalition resigned on Saturday.Former chief minister Siddaramaiah,meanwhile, has called a meeting of Congress Legislature Party on Tuesday.
* Former prime minister and JDS veteran HD Deve Gowda has been meeting party leaders. He also met Congress’s troubleshooter DK Shivakumar.
* The Congress’ state in charge, KC Venugopal, has come to Bengaluru and met state party leaders at a private hotel.
* The Congress played down the crisis, with its former chief minister, Siddaramaiah,saying,There is no threat to the coalition government.It is safe.Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the party is in still in touch with the rebels and will get a clear picture on the July 12, when the assembly session begins.
* Speaker Ramesh Kumar said he would look at the latest batch of resignations only after he returns to work on Tuesday.
* The Congress and the JDS together have 118 members in the 224-seat state assembly, along with one BSP and one Independent member. The defections will bring its numbers down to 105 and the majority mark in the assembly from 113 to 106. The BJP also has 105 members.
* The BJP has said it should be invited to form a new government if the ruling coalition lacks the numbers. But it has denied the coalition’s accusations of engineering the crisis.
* Let’s wait and watch. Are we sanyasis (hermits)? After the resignation process is over and the speaker takes his decision, leaders of our party will discuss and decide,” state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said in response to a question whether the party was preparing to form government.
* Eight Congress and three Janata Dal Secular legislators submitted their resignations to the Speaker on Saturday afternoon. They then met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan before being flown out to Mumbai.
* The Congress has alleged that the rebel legislators were taken to Mumbai in a plane that was arranged by the BJP. The party also said BJP leaders visited the hotel where the lawmakers are staying.

Will HD Kumaraswamy give up throne to save Government?. 
Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy was forced to cut short his US visit and head home on Sunday to take stock of the growing political crisis in his coalition government with 12 MLA sending their resignations to the Assembly speaker on Saturday.
Straight after landing in Bengaluru this evening, Kumaraswamy got into a meeting with JD(S) national president HD Deve Gowda,Deputy CM G Parameshwara and other senior Congress leaders at the Taj West End hotel in the city.
While Somashekar was in no mood to relent, CM Kumaraswamy almost went down on his knees at the meeting with former CM Siddaramaiah.Sources said, When Kumaraswamy met Siddaramaiah, he pleaded with him to somehow bring back Somashekar and others who are his close aides (disciples).The CM further added that Ramalinga Reddy, the Congress MLA from BTM Layout holds the key to everything. If he is brought back,things will fall back to normalcy.While Kumaraswamy sought Siddaramaiah to talk to his close aides, he added that he would speak to H Vishwanath,the JD(S) MLA from Hunsur and other JD(S) MLAs who have resigned and bring them back.The despondency doesn’t stop with the CM. Earlier today (July 7) senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge rang up Ramalinga Reddy to extend an olive branch and ensure he doesn’t shift loyalties.But sources say that Reddy was not moved even by an inch by Kharge’s implorations.He is reported to have said, When I made similar pleas when I was relegated, you did not respond to me. I have made up my mind. I won’t budge he said to Senior congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
Similar was the case with trouble-shooter DK Shivakumar, who met RR Nagar Congress MLA Muniratna along with his brother DK Suresh.The siblings spoke to an incensed and indignant Muniratna for two hours, but Muniratna didn’t pay heed. Ultimately,he organised a formal rapprochement with KC Venugopal, the Congress state in-charge for Karnataka. Fortunately for the Congress,Muniratna is said to have conceded.
Among the hectic talks,Siddaramaiah urged his supporters on social media not to foul-mouth anyone or issue statements that are an affront to any senior leader.
Surely, the dissidence in coalition ranks is proving to be a tough nut to crack for the honchos of both the parties.  
Earlier in the day, Congress’s trusted troubleshooter DK Shivakumar met senior JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda at his residence.
A cirular has been issued by the Congress to all MLAs to attend Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called by CLP leader Siddaramaiah on July 9. Karnataka Congress in charge KC Venugopal and Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao will also be present in the meet.
The Congress workers held a protest outside party office in the city asking Congress MLAs to take back their resignations.
They’ve (JDS) called a meeting of their party leaders. We’ll also call our party leaders and sort out this issue. I’m confident things will cool down immediately. In interest of nation and both parties we’ve to run government smoothly. I’m confident MLAs will come back, Congress’s DK Shivakumar told media persons.
Out of the 12 legislators who submitted their resignations in the office of Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar, nine were from the Congress and three from the JD(S).The legislators were not able to meet the Speaker and left their resignations with his aides in his office. 
Later all the rebel MLAs met Governor Vajubhai Valla and all the rebel MLAs tendered their resignations to Governor also at his office in Raj Bhavan in the presence of Bengaluru city police commissioner,Alok kumar and Governor Vajubhai Vala ordered commissioner to give full security to the Disgrunted or Rebel MLAs till they reach to Airport and the same was followed by commissioner with full protection and escorts all the MLAs were taken to Airport in Tempo Traveller and some where taken in their own cars with full tight security. 
Later in the evening on Saturday at around 7 pm all the rebel MLAs of coalition government left to Mumbai in a special charted flight. 
Responding to the developments, BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa on Sunday said,I am going to Tumkur and I will come back at 4 pm.You know about the political developments.Let’s wait and see.I do not want to answer to what HD Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah say. I am nowhere related to this and we are waiting for the speakers reaction he added.
While senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said he wants the alliance government to continue.We want that this should go on smoothly he said.
The differences in the ruling coalition government, which came together to forestall a BJP bid for power in the only southern state it has ever ruled, have been out in the open for quite sometime. Leaders of both the parties have been involved in war of words.
The Congress and JD(S) won just one Lok Sabha seat each in the Lok Sabha elections while the BJP won 25 of the 28 seats in the state.
Through out the day,his father HD Deve Gowda held a string of meetings with leaders of his party as well as the Congress.If the resignation of all 13 lawmakers is accepted,the government of the Congress and Mr Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular, which has a wafer-thin majority, will collapse.
After almost a year of false alarms, a total of 12 legislators from both Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) handed in their resignations, threatening to send the state into a political crisis.
Nine legislators from the Congress and three from the JD(S) handed in their resignations to the assembly speaker’s office. If accepted, this could bring the one-year-old coalition government led by chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to the brink of a collapse.
The coalition government has failed in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state,A.H.Vishwanath,the former JD(S) state president, said in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Vishwanath had stepped down from his role as president barely a few days ago.
The list included Congress legislators like Munirathana, Byrathi Basavaraj and S.T.Somashekar, all three considered close associates of former chief minister Siddaramaiah,who has in the past been accused of engineering dissent and destabilizing the government to settle personal scores with the JD(S) top leadership.
Meanwhile Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that “Modi has similar qualities of 14th century Sultan of Delhi Muhammad bin Tughlaq.Narendra Modi, who is ruling the country, has similar qualities of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.The BJP has undertaken “Operation Lotus” in 10 States and sabotaging to end democracy. “Karnataka should not succumb to Modi’s tactics,” the KPCC tweeted.
The BJP took strong exception to the tweet and said the Congress “insulted” the Prime Minister. In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 25 seats while the JD(S) and the Congress won one seat each in Karnataka.In earlier instances too, several leaders compared Mr. Modi to Tughlaq. During the 2019 election campaign, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that “Mr. Narendra Modi is as terrible as Muhammad bin Tughlaq was”. 
The resignations by senior Congress leaders like Ramalinga Reddy have taken the party by surprise.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were quick to issue a statement denying any involvement in the developments.
I am categorically reiterating that the BJP has absolutely no say on the issue, B.S.Yeddyurappa, state BJP president, said in a statement on Saturday.
The resignations, yet to be accepted by Speaker K.R.Ramesh Kumar, follow days after Congress legislator Anand Singh handed in his papers.At the time, people associated with the BJP had said that there would be an exodus from the coalition as no one wants to remain on a sinking ship.
The coalition has 117 MLAs, including the two independents and excluding the speaker, while the BJP has 105.There is one vacancy as the resignation of Ramesh Jarkiholi was not acknowledged by the speaker.
Kumar said that he would only be able to look into the resignations on Tuesday. This gives the coalition at least two days to try and avert a crisis.
The latest round of resignations, if they are accepted, will bring down the strength of the coalition in the lower house to around 105.
Meanwhile R.Roshan Baig who is yet to take any decision on his resignation said to reporters that he is busy with sending pilgrims to HAJ and after two days he will decide his action.
The Congress says it is trying to retain some of the leaders and hasn’t completely exhausted all its strategies just yet.
We can buy some time and can even advance the monsoon session by about two weeks,said one Congress leader requesting not to be named. The person cited above said that there were a few legal options as well.
But the problem for the coalition may have emanated from within itself, leaders say.
The discord between the JD(S) and Congress appears insurmountable, especially after the Lok Sabha elections, in which the coalition was routed by the BJP which won 25 out the total 28 parliamentary seats.
The JD(S) and Congress have tried to reconcile differences and have hung on to power in Karnataka despite the constant threats of instability.
At least 10 legislators who resigned on Saturday were flown out of Bengaluru to an unknown destination.
Speaking to the media, persons in Mumbai,Congress MLA from Yeshwanthpur ST Somashekar,who addressed the media at Sofitel Hotel in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex told the media that the 13 MLAs, who have tendered their resignations, will under no circumstance go back on their decision.Ten MLAs are currently here in Mumbai.Ramalinga Reddy, Munirathna and Anand Singh will join us tomorrow (Monday).Under no circumstance will the 13 MLAs go back on our decision to withdraw our resignation letters.We have been hearing in the media that some of us are willing to withdraw our resignation letters. This is not true,ST Somashekar said.Somashekar also stated that the rebel MLAs had not demanded that the Chief Minister be changed but only expressed their disillusionment about Kumaraswamy’s administration.We have not demanded that Kumaraswamy be replaced with another CM.That was never our demand.We will not go back on our decision.On paper, the coalition may still be together but the government had already toppled 10 days ago.We aired our grievances and we also informed our leaders that we would quit,Somashekar said.
Backing up Somashekar’s statement,BC Patil too said that the 13 rebel MLAs would not go back on their decision.Whatever BC Patil said is true.We 13 MLAs will not withdraw our resignations under any circumstance,BC Patil said.
Somashekar’s statement comes just in the heels of JD(S) leader GT Deve Gowda’s saying that the party was willing to allow Siddaramaiah or any other Congress leader become the Chief Minister.
The political drama began unfolding last week after MLAs Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi resigned.Soon after,11 other Congress and JD(S) MLAs tendered their resignations on Saturday and flew away to a hotel in Mumbai, awaiting the Speaker’s decision slated to be announced later on Tuesday.
The 10 Congress and 3 JD(S) MLAs include former state Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Ramesh Jarkiholi, H Vishwanath,ST Somashekar,Pratapgouda Patil,K Gopalaiah,BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli,Narayana Gowda, Byrathi Basavaraj,Shivaram Hebbar,Anand Singh and Munirathna Naidu.
The strength of the coalition government is 120 now, including the Speaker.Congress has 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA.Two independent MLAs,R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies are also supporting the coalition.The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105. The majority mark is 113.The BJP needs 16 MLAs from the coalition to resign in order to topple the government and come to power.
What led to the political crisis?
The difficulty of sharing power is at the heart of the ongoing crisis. A coalition government meant limited number of ministerial berths had to be shared between the Congress and the JD(S). This sparked resentment and rebellion within both the parties.
Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy is seen as the leader of the current rebellion. He had served as the home minister in the previous government.Left out of the cabinet this time around, for over six months, Reddy had been complainingthat the Congress leadership had ignored him and other senior leaders.
The same resentment was visible among other Congress and JD(S) MLAs, who all hoped to find a plum position in the government as quickly as possible,since there were doubts over how long the coalition would last.
The Lok Sabha results, in which the BJP swept Karnataka, only exacerbated the situation. With the Centre firmly in the hands of the BJP, these rebel legislators may have come to a conclusion that there was no advantage in continuing in the Congress or the JD(S).
Who are the rebelling MLAs?
In all, 14 MLAs have submitted resignations since July 1. The first to resign was Congress MLA Anand Singh, who represents the Vijayanagara seat in Ballari. Other high profile names from the Congress include Ramalinga Reddy and H Vishwanath, two senior leaders who were seen as opposed to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who currently heads the coalition’s coordination council.
Also among the rebels is Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has for months shown an inclination to quit the Congress and join the BJP. A local heavyweight from Belgavi in North Karnataka, he was dropped from the Cabinet in December and has ever since become the biggest headache for the coalition government.
Jarikiholli was expected to be reinstated as minister in June, but the Cabinet expansion was restricted to including two independent MLAs, H Nagesh and AR Shankar, as the coalition leadership felt giving berths to one aspirant and ignoring the others would unsettle the government.
Other Congress legislators who have rebelled include BC Patil from Hirekerur, Pratapgauda Patil from Maski, Shivram Hebbar from Yellapur, Mahesh Kumatahalli from Athani, ST Somashekar from Yeshvantpur, Byrathi Basavaraj from KR Puram, Muniratna Naidu from RR Nagar and SN Subba Reddy from KGF.
On the list of JD(S) MLAs who have submitted resignations are Narayana Gowda from KR Pet, Gopalaiah from Mahalakshmi Layout and AH Vishwanath from Hunsur.
In all, five MLAs from the Bengaluru region have resigned, making this the largest bloc. Speculations have been rife that Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter and Jayanagar constituency MLA Sowmya Reddy is also gearing up to join the rebellion.
How do the party numbers stack up?
The most critical question following the rebellion is whether the coalition government can survive. Given the close numbers in the Karnataka Assembly, this is unlikely.
In all the Congress-JD(S) coalition has 118 members in the 224-member assembly, excluding the Speaker. This count includes the 14 rebels. If their resignations are accepted by the Speaker, the coalition strength will drop to 104.
Meanwhile, the BJP has 105 MLAs. If the assembly loses 14 members, its strength will drop to 210, which means the BJP will be just one legislator short of majority.
The problem for the Congress and the JD(S) is that of the 118 MLAs, two are independents and one belongs to the Bahujan Samaj Party. If these three shift loyalties, the BJP could comfortably form the government and wait for the bye-elections to the 14 seats to improve its numbers.
In fact, the BJP’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections may have boosted the confidence of the rebel legislators, who may perhaps feel that they have a strong chance of re-election as a BJP candidate.
The coalition is hoping that as ministers, the two independents will not quit.
What will the speaker do?
Part of Friday’s drama was the fact that Speaker Ramesh Kumar chose to stay away from office and said that he would decide on the resignations on Tuesday, the next working day he will be in office.
There is a possibility that the speaker would try to delay the fall of the government by a few weeks by rejecting their resignations. But as per the assembly rules, unless and until there is a problem with the format in which resignations are submitted, the speaker has no option but to accept them.
Another possibility is that the speaker could simply sit on the resignations and not decide on them as the law is still unclear on whether the courts can order the speaker to make a decision since the assembly is his exclusive domain.
Will there be a vote of confidence?
If the governor feels the speaker is stalling the resignations, he has the right to order a confidence vote. This means the government will have to face a confidence vote on the floor of the assembly whether or not the Speaker accepts the resignations.
On Friday, the rebel MLAs met Governor Vajubhai Vala after submitting their resignations to the speaker’s office. The governor is selected by the Union government, which is why many believe the advantage lies with the BJP.
Coalition Demolition. 
There were reports of a change of guard as an option to save the government by making veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge the Chief Minister.Kharge ruled it out,saying false and flimsy news was being spread through the media just to divide the party.I don’t know about it.I want this alliance government to continue and go smoothly,” he said,adding he would also talk to the MLAs to withdraw their resignations He charged the BJP with trying to destabilize the “non BJP”elected governments across the country he added.
There were also reports that Siddaramaiah may be considered for Chief Minister if JD(S) agrees, to which JD(S) leader and Minister G T Devegowda said “If the coordination committee decides Siddaramaiah should be the CM, we have no objection.so be it he said to reporters.
Kumaraswamy, who arrived in Mumbai this evening from the U.S.,drove straight to a hotel where a JD(S) MLAs meet is on.
Sources said he asked the MLAs to stay united against BJP’s “operation” and about ways to save the government.
He later held discussions with Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Venugopal and Siddaramaiah, they said.
All options, including a cabinet reshuffle to make way for disgruntled MLAs, by asking some loyalists of both parties to resign from the Ministry, are likely to be discussed during Congress leaders’ meeting with the CM, sources had said.
Congress leaders, including Venugopal who have camped in Mumbai, held a series of meetings Sunday to strategise the plan of action in a last ditch effort to save the government.
They also tried to reach out to MLAs who resigned and pacify them, sources said, adding efforts were also made to contact MLAs suspected to be vulnerable and who might resign in the days to come.
Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Minister D K Shivakumar and KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre were part of the meetings.
The Congress’ high command has reportedly questioned state unit leaders about how they had allowed such a large number of resignations to happen, party sources said.
They also specifically asked about resignations of Byrati Basavaraj (K R Puram),S T Somashekar (Yeshwanthpur) and Munirathna naidu (Rajarajeshwaringar), considered close to Siddaramaiah.
Meetings were also on in JD(S) circles, at the residence of party patriarch Deve Gowda.
Shivakumar, considered the Congress’ troubleshooter also met Gowda at his home and discussed the developments
Stating that attempts are on pacify the MLAs, Siddaramaiah earlier in the day alleged that BJP was behind it, using power and money as allurements to lure the disgruntled MLAs.
Meanwhile the coalition government after the marathon and series of meeting at Taj West End,State Incharge of Congress,KC Venugopal had made a plan to save the coalition government he has instructed all the leaders to be ready to tender resignation as by this plan they can pacify Disgrunted MLAs this are the ways by the coalition government to save the government. 
BJP state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa said the party was watching the developments and that they were not “sanyasis” to rule out the possibility of forming the government.Ruling out the possibility of any mid-term polls, he said “it has been just 13 months after the assembly election. We will not allow election to happen.Let them (Congress-JDS) give good administration.If they can’t, we are there with strength of 105 MLAs.we will not meet the Governor or go to Delhi for now.we are watching the developments,” he added.
The JD(S)-Congress coalition’s total strength, including those who have put in their papers, is 118 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP-1 and Independents-2), besides the Speaker.
BJP has 105 MLAs in the House, where the half-way mark is 113. If the resignations are accepted, the coalition’s tally will reduce to 105.The Speaker also has a vote.

Write up on – IMA Multi-Crore Fraud Case:Karnataka SIT arrests,Senior IAS Officer,Bangalore Urban DC,BM Vijay Shankar on bribery charges in IMA Ponzi Scam Case :

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Parmesh jain

IMA Multi-Crore Fraud Case:Karnataka SIT arrests,Senior IAS Officer,Bengaluru Urban DC,BM Vijay Shankar on bribery charges in IMA Ponzi Scam Case :
In a major development in the IMA Ponzi scheme,the Special Investigative team (SIT) headed by DIG,DR.BR.Ravikanthe Gowda under the supervision of DCP Crime,Girish S with his 11 Member team on Monday has arrested Deputy Commissioner,(Urban)BM Vijayshankar in Bengaluru in connection with the scam that has duped over 40,000 people of their money.”
The special investigation team,probing  into the IMA Multi-Crore Fraud scam,has  arrested Senior IAS officer BM Vijay Shankar who is Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner (Urban) and District Magistrate,Bengaluru Urban,for his alleged role in the scam.
Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru urban district BM Vijay Shankar was arrested on Monday in connection with the I Monetary Advisory case on the charges of receiving bribe of Rs.1.5 crore from Mansoor Khan the founder of the IMA company.
The Indian Administrative Services officer allegedly took a bribe in exchange of a favourable report after the Reserve Bank of India had asked the state government to investigate the firm’s business.So far,Five people which includes two government officials,a nominated corporator,BDA Executive Engineer,and a village accountant along with 13 IMA Directors so till now in last 25 days the SIT sleuths have arrested more than eighteen people involved in this Multi-Crore Fraud IMA Ponzi Scam and has seized IMA properties gold and other valuables worth more than 250 Crores after conducting continuously search on IMA companies and its other Establishments as Frontline Pharmas in various places across city and has seized medicines and other items in the raid.
BM Vijayshankar took charge as the Bengaluru DC Urban in July last year and he is the second senior government official and bureaucrat being arrested in connection with the involvement in the IMA Ponzi Scam case.The earlier arrested government official was assistant commissioner bengaluru north LC Nagaraj. 
Senior SIT officer said,On Monday morning, the SIT sleuths brought Deputy commissioner BM Vijay Shankar in for questioning and arrested him later in the evening.The investigators also searched his home.During investigation,it was revealed that Vijay Shankar obtained Rs 1.5 Crore through a village accountant named Manjunath.Vijay Shankar was given the money in exchange for a clearance certificate to IMA,we have arrested him for his involvement in the scam and being a part of the Conspiracy to help IMA.We will produced the accused tomorrow to the court before the magistrate and we will take him into custody for further investigation he said.
On July 6th, the investigating team had arrested Bengaluru North Assistant Commissioner LC Nagaraj and the village accountant, Manjunath, for allegedly taking a bribe of about Rs.4.5 Crore from IMA’s founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan.Nagaraj was reportedly looking into the company after Reserve Bank of India highlighted irregularities.
Nagaraj had issued a public notice against IMA in March this year,However,without probing the irregularities,a clearance certificate was given to RBI allegedly stating that no complaints were received against IMA.Shankar signed off on the clearance certificate.Nagaraj had taken Rs 4.5 crore bribe from Mansoor Khan and 1.5 Crore was given to Shankar.
The Enforcement Directorate,which is also looking into the case,on June 28,issued a notice to Karnataka Minister, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan to appear before it.The agency also questioned Khan as he had sold his property to the IMA founder.
The Enforcement Directorate had recently lodged a criminal case of money laundering against the IMA Group of Companies and its promoter and managing director Mohammed Mansoor Khan.He has been accused of running a ponzi scheme in Karnataka that has allegedly duped more than 40,000 people of about Rs 2,000 crore.People from Bengaluru,Mysuru,Hyderabad,New Delhi, and Tamil Nadu are said to have invested into the company.
A nominated corporator Syed Mujahid and a Bangalore Development Authority officer identified as Kumar were earlier arrested in connection with the fraud. 
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the case simultaneously, had recently questioned Karnataka minority welfare minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan as he had sold his property in the city to Mansoor Khan.
The ED which has registered a money laundering case in the scam in which thousands of depositors are said to have been duped, had attached assets worth Rs 209 crore,including 20 immovable properties and bank deposits, in connection with the case.
The BJP has demanded a CBI inquiry into the case. The ED had filed the money laundering case against the IMA group of companies and Mohammed Mansoor Khan after reports emerged that he has gone underground fearing investments worth crores of about 40,000 investors have tanked.

Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson’s Mutual Admiration To Light Up World Cup Semifinal

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India vs New Zealand Semifinal: Virat Kohli pointed out how he always saw talent in Kane Williamson. The New Zealand skipper said the Indian skipper has evolved over the years and is an absolute run-machine at present.

Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson

India vs New Zealand Semifinal: Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have high praise for each other.

Virat Kohli and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson share mutual admiration for each other since the time they played against each other in an U-19 Test match in 2007. Ahead of World Cup 2019 first semi-final clash between India and New Zealand, Virat Kohli called Kane Williamson “special” while New Zealand skipper termed India captain as a “superstar”. The mutual admiration is set to light up the World Cup semi-final in Manchester. Speaking on the eve of the first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli was the first one to point out how he always saw talent in Williamson. In fact, even as scribes asked him about playing against Kane Williamson in the U19 World Cup in 2008, the India skipper went back to the 2007 U19 Test match he played against New Zealand to recollect his first memory of the New Zealand skipper.

“It’s not even 2008, I remember in 2007, we went to New Zealand and we were playing an U19 Test match and he played a shot off one of our fast bowlers, who was quick, off the back foot and I remember standing in slips and telling guys standing with me, “I have never seen anyone play a shot like that” and he was special, along with a couple more guys, who didn’t make it surprisingly.

“But he was always the stand-out player and you could see when we played New Zealand in New Zealand on that U19 tour and the World Cup again, he was quite special for them. So we always knew he has the special ability to go all the way and now he’s controlling the tempo of the game for New Zealand. Every game that he plays, he’s contributing so well. He is a lovely guy. We get along very well,” he pointed.

Williamson too, had some really good things to say when asked about the Indian skipper who has evolved over the years and is an absolute run-machine at present.

“He was a formidable player, growing up — that seems odd to say because we were at the same age playing against each other on a number of occasions and then to go into international cricket at a youngish age, then IPL and these different sorts of things.

“So it’s obviously been a pleasure watching Virat play and evolve into the superstar that he is,” he smiled.

As the two captains gear up for one of their biggest challenges in their leadership careers, the act of appreciating genuine talent definitely is one that the future stars would look to imbibe.

Karnataka crisis HIGHLIGHTS: CM Kumaraswamy holds meeting with top Congress, JD(S) leaders

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Karnataka crisis While BJP claimed that the resignations were the result of an ongoing “power struggle” between former chief minister Siddaramaiah and incumbent HD Kumaraswamy, the grand old party alleged BJP’s hand behind the developments.

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The rebel Congress MLAs, who have been camping in Mumbai’s Sofitel Hotel, on Sunday refused to withdraw their resignations and said they won’t attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting on Tuesday. Addressing the media outside the hotel, Congress legislator S T Somashekar said, “We all 13 legislators have resigned and ten are here. We all are together. There is no question of taking back the resignations. We will not attend the CLP meeting on Tuesday.”

Earlier on Sunday, Congress had issued a circular to all party MLAs in Karnataka calling CLP meeting on Tuesday. The circular also mentioned that strict action will be taken against MLAs on failing to attend the meeting.

After reaching Bengaluru airport, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy headed to Taj West End hotel where he held a meeting with top JD(S) and Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, the chartered plane that had flown 10 dissident MLAs of the Congress and the JD(S) flew from Karnataka to Mumbai Saturday night belongs to a company associated with Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, company sources said on Sunday. “It is a charter operation and the aircraft is chartered regularly by various people,” a top official of the company told PTI requesting anonymity.

Showbiz Round Up By: Shaheen Raaj

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Showbiz Round Up

By: Shaheen Raaj

T-Series Presents “Tera Shehar” Sung By Mohammed Kalam  

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After amassing over 72 million views on YouTube with their last single “Zindagi Di Paudi”, T-Series in association with Manoj Muntashir Entertainment & R-Chills Music has released their latest single “Tera Shehar”. Incidentally the videos of the both singles have been shot in the picturesque locations of Armenia. “Tera Shehart” traces the path of love & sacrifice and is based on the concept of ‘If you love someone set them free & if they come back to you, they’re yours.’ The lyrics & the soulful notes of the song communicate the pain of love & loss & the sacrifice that goes along with love & how true love always wins at the end. The music video stars Yaariyan actor Himansh Kohli & the lovely Pia Bajpiee. The heart touching song has already been released on YouTube officially.  Lyricist Manoj Muntashir had been looking to launch his own production house since quite some time & “Tera Shehar” is the perfect venture to begin with. Launching the new, but extremely talented 22 year old singer, Mohammed Kalam, was quite a journey for the wordsmith as he frequently meets a lot of new singers. However, the pain & the rawness in Mohammed Kalam’s voice appealed not only to Manoj Muntashir but also to the young & promising melody maker of our times, Amaal Mallik, who is the composer of the song. The debutante singer Mohammed Kalam  spoke about his big break. He said, “I don’t think I could have got a better launch into this industry. I’m so grateful to everybody who believed in me & my talent. I hope the audience can connect with the song & the underlying emotions beneath it. My journey has just begun & I cannot wait to see where it takes me.” Actor Himansh Kohli adds, “A lot of people would be able to connect with “Tera Shehar”. Not because they have gone through a breakup or because they may have had some issues but because there is pain in the song & the pain is a universal feeling. Voh pain sabki life mein, kahin na kahin, kisi na kisi form mein hoti hai.” The video was shot in the beautiful country of Armenia in a span of 4 days. It is directed by Shabby Singh & produced by Vishal Sadhariya of R-Chills Music. “Tera Shehar” is presented by T-Series & Manoj Muntashir Entertainment in association with R-Chills Music is out now.

India SME Conclave & Awards Organised By Tefla

India SME Conclave & CEO Awards were recently organised by Tefla’s under the patronage of BIA & it was a stellar success as it attracted some of the top reputed names in our participation list from companies such as Reliance Big Entertainment, Kotak Mahindra Bank,  Mercedes-Benz India, Axis bank, Angel Broking, Yourstory, Bank of India & many more. We also attracted a few Government bodies such as SIDBI, SEBI & policymakers from the Government of Maharastra. Some of the VIPs who attended the event were: Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, Mayor of Mumbai, Shweta Shalini, Advisor to Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Rajesh Kshirsagar, Executive Chairman,  State Planning Commission, Government of Maharashtra, Dr. Anil Bonde, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Government  of Maharashtra, Mohit Bharatiya, KBJ Group & Politician at BJP, Amit Bhagwan Wadhwani, Co-Founder, SECCPL, Dr. Pawan Agrawal from Mumbai Dabbawala, R K Das, Country Head, SIDBI, Ajay Thakur, Head SME, BSE, Actress Perizaad Zorabian, Chief Marketing Officer, Zorabian Chicken & many more. The event also awarded some top SMEs for their valuable contribution like India SME of the Year – Marquee Developer 2019, Himanshu Kanakia, Managing Director, Kanakia Spaces Reality Pvt Ltd. India SME Award for Technology & Innovation 2019, Tejas Goenka, Managing Director, Tally Solutions, Young Entrepreneur (SME) of the Year Siddharth De, Vice-President, Hindustan Motor Mfg. Co, India SME Award for Idea Innovation Dr. Evan Luthra, Founder, StartupStudio, Social Entrepreneur of the Year & Brand Ambassador of India SME Conclave Mohit Bharatiya, CEO, KBJ Group. For Outstanding Contribution towards Healthcare: Dr. A. Velumani, Founder & CEO, Thyrocare Technologies Limited, CEO Award for Top Equity Broker of the Year 2019 Axis Securities Ltd, CEO Award for Most Consistent Portfolio Manager of the Country 2019 Narnolia Financial Advisors Limited, CEO Award for Digital First Organization of the year 2019 Angel Broking Pvt Ltd, CEO Award for Best Marketing Campaign of the year 2019 Angel Broking Pvt Ltd, CEO Award for Fastest Growing Diversified Group Abans Securities Pvt Ltd. There was a fashion show by Sparsh by Seema Kalavadia & Richa Singh. TV actor Dheeraj Dhoopar was the show stopper for the show. Singer Parul Mishra performed live on various songs in this grand event.

SASMIRA Celebrated Annual Fashion Show – Enchanté 2019 Organised By Tefla

SASMIRA, in its continuous endeavor to promote design literate human resource pool in today’s competitive market; organized Enchanté 2019 recently at Renaissance Hotel, Powai. The show was organised by Aseem Singh, Director – Tefla’s which is a renowned event management group based in Mumbai. The central theme of the Fashion Collection 2019 was “Wanderlust” & the students had designed their collections picking up inspirations from the various places that they had visited or lust to visit. They had internalized this lust of wandering into beautifully crafted designs. How these places – their exotic landscapes, diverse climate, awe-inspiring structures & distinct cultures had inspired them to conceive an idea that pushes them to weave designs on the looms of their creativity is the essence of their collection. Their collections are nostalgic, neoteric & futuristic in their conception. Professional models including Sucheta Sharma & Candice Pinto walked the ramp for designers. Vaishali S, Sunipa S, Amit Ranjan, Tasneem Merchant (Fashion Designer), Meher Castelino (Author) came specially to judge the fashion show. Singer Shahzad Ali performed live for all the students & the guest of Sasmira. The students had designed Indian; Indo-Western & Western wear & fashion accessories collections. These collections had a wide variety of colours & fabrics, Director.

Bollywood Celebs & Stars Attend 1st Ever Celeb M Awards

Jignesh Bhuta, Yogesh Popat, Karishma Thaker & Jignesh Shah of Celeb M completed one year of their company in the events & the casting arena. They kept the party with the felicitation of Bolywood stars at the Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai. Mahira Sharma & Kainaat Arora performed on this grand event. Arun Sharma of LR Active Oil received all the guest & the Bollywood celebs like Pankaj Berry, Raju Shrivastava, Jasleen Matharu, Faisu, Jannat Zubair, DJ Ramji Gulati, Meet Brothers, Preety Pinky, JD Majethia, Shaheed Mallya, Vikalp Mehta who all came to receive the award in different categories. Sunil Pal, VIP, Ekta Jain & Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor came specially to attend the grand event.

Music Composer Siddharth Kasyap’s “Ishq Ki Mitti” Presented Sk Music Works

Siddharth Kasyap of SK Music Works knows how to hit the right note. Known for churning out several hits in the past he brings his 24thoriginal song named as “Ishq Ki Mitti” The launch of “Ishq Ki Mitti” saw the presence of Nakul Mehta, Jankee Parekh, Eijaz Khan, Shibani Kashyap, Sara Khan, Zulfi Sayyed, Aarti Nagpal, Rakesh Paul, Rehan Shah, Sandhya Shetty, Dj Sheizwood, Kanwalpreet Singh, Shanthipriya, Prashant Virender Sharma, Madhushree, Madhuri Pandey, Sheela Tiruchi, Sandhya Shetty, Nivedita Basu, Rajesh Khera, Hansa Singh, Shakuir shaikh, Asif Merchant, Alex O Neil etc. “Ishq Ki Mitti” a sufiyana contemporary love story of undying love will warm the cockles of your heart. In today’s fast paced world when music is created in rush, “Ishq Ki Mitti” bears testament to the fact that good songs will find their way into the hearts of the audience. This heart melting song is touted to be the ‘love anthem of the year’. Serene, sublime & majestic is synonym to “Ishq Ki Mitti”. It is not just a romantic song, it’s an experience which can be seen & cherished by most. Melodious, heavenly & powerful – these are the words that perfectly sum up this Sufi love ballad, “Ishq Ki Mitti”. Conceived & composed by Siddharth Kasyap, this song has vocals of Raja Hassan who is also a renowned Bollywood singer & lyrics has been penned down by Ibrahim Ashq who also has several Bollywood songs to his kitty. The majestic high that the song takes one to, is enhanced by a gifted & senior sitar player Ravi Chari. The song features popular faces of Vikas Verma, Naman Shaw & Apeksha Porwal. Vikas Verma was seen in several movies, Naman Shaw is a popular TV soap artist & Apeksha Porwal has been one of the top contestants of Miss India pageant. This video has been directed by Aziz Zee who has directed the recent horror flick 1978 Night Out & has copious music videos to his credentials as a director.

Cine Buzz By: Shaheen Raaj Change

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Cine Buzz

By: Shaheen Raaj

Kangana Ranaut On The ‘Judgmentall Hai Kya’ Title Change

Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao and Ekta Kapoor at song launch of Judgemental Hai Kya.

Just recently actress Kangana Ranaut expressed her opinion on the change in title for her upcoming film Judgmental Hai Kya?, which was earlier called Mental Hai Kya, is a result of nepotism & power play in the Hindi film industry. Commenting on the movie’s title change, Kangana Ranaut said, “I think whenever it is anything to do with Kangana Ranaut, people have a problem with it. Since I am an outsider, even if I breathe, people have a problem. But we outsiders also have learnt to make our way without creating a problem. Even one of Salman Khan’s film which was a remake of a south Indian film, was named Mental. There was no problem then, but now we are told that very recently, the word “mental” is banned, so we did not have that much choice. But we truly believe that we have made a good film. Our film has got a U/A certificate. We have faith in our intentions. A small change of the title will not make much difference.” The Mental Hai Kya title drew the ire of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) which complained to the censor board that the usage of the word “mental” trivialized mental health issues. The title was later changed. Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, the film also features Rajkummar Rao, Brijendra Kala, Jimmy Sheirgill & Amyra Dastur. It is releasing on 26th Jul, 2019.

Tiger Shroff Finally Breaks His Silence

Tiger Shroff was last seen in the Punit Malhotra directorial movie named Student Of The Year 2. While rumors of Tiger Shroff & actress Disha Patani dating each other have been old news, the 2 have never confirmed the same. Smartly evading the question every time the duo continues to go on their regular Sunday lunch dates at a popular restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai. However, when Karan Johar cornered Tiger Shroff on his chat show, where Tiger Shroff wascaccompanied by his father JackieShoff, the Student Of The Year 2 actor had no option but to break his silence on the matter. When the host Karan Johar mentioned Tiger Shroff & Disha Patani’s regular lunch dates where the actor is seen carrying the lady’s bag, Tiger Shroff indeed remained nonchalant & even responded, “Holding the bag for her makes me look really nice.” As Karan Johar next plunged straight to the point & quizzed Tiger Shroff about his relationship with Disha Patani, the action hero simply said, “I am great friends with her. I love her company & we are keeping it at that.” When Karan Johar probed further, he clarified, “We both have very similar interests. I don’t have very many friends in the industry & she is one of the few people whom I get along with.” That sort of shut the host right there as he then moved on to chatting about Tiger Shroff’s bond with director Puneet Malhotra & his co-stars Ananya Panday & even Tara Sutaria from Student Of The Year 2. We must say actors seemed to have learned up how to keep their guard up on this filmmaker’s chat show which has witnessed celebrities making some really controversial statements in the past. Well, all said & done, we still wish that Tiger Shroff & Disha Paani do get together some day if they are seriously not dating. And if they are, surely there’s no harm in disclosing their relationship to fans as they will only be showered with more love. Meanwhile, on the work front, Tiger Shroff will next be seen in the 3rd installment of Baaghi lined up. Tiger Shroff is also reuniting with Shraddha Kapoor for Baaghi 3 & fans are eager to watch them on the silver screen yet again.

Bhagyashree’s Husband Himalaya Dassani Arrested 

At least more than 15 people have been arrested in the recent gambling matter in Mumbai. During the investigation, the Maine Pyar Kiya actress Bhagyashree’s husband Himalaya Dassani’s name popped up & the raids were conducted last month at a high rise building behind infinity mall near Andheri (W) Mumbai. In another shocking event, it has come to the fore that actress Bhagyashree’s husband Himalay Dassani has been arrested by Amboli police, Mumbai. While not a lot of information is out, the arrest of Himalay Dassani who was into construction business took place recently for his alleged involvement in a gambling racket. As more than 15 people have been arrested in the matter. During the investigation, Bhagyashree’s husband Himalaya Dassani’s name popped up & the raids were conducted last month at a high rise building behind infinity mall Andheri (W) Mumbai. Bhagyashree is a popular name & is known for her role in Rajshri Production’s film, Maine Pyaar Kiya opposite Salman Khan. Post the success of the film, Bhagyashree quit Bollywood & got married in 1990 to Himalaya Dassani. The couple has 2 children namely Abhimanyu Dassani & Avantika Dassani. In fact, Abhimanyu Dassani had recently made his debut with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota alongside Radhika Madan. The film went on to receive rave reviews for his performance.

TV Queen Ekta Kapoor To Launch A New Drama 

The small screen serial named Daayan is expected to be plugged off air from 14th Jul, 2019 & above all the TV Queen Ekta Kapoor is coming up with a new TV drama that will star Bepanah Pyaar actor Aparna Dixit. &TV’s Daayan is soon going to wrap up. The supernatural drama will end after running for 100 episodes. The &TV channel has decided to bring another bi-weekly drama to replace the show. So TV doyenne Ekta Kapoor is introducing a new show on the tube. The series is titled Aa Dekhe Zara. As the name suggests the show is going to be a mystery drama. The show will revolve around a cop who will solve a different murder case every week. The small screen actress Aparna Dixit has been roped in to play the protagonist. Aparna Dixit will play a female cop in Aa Dekhe Zara, who will be juggling with her own problems while solving the case. Her character, Sukanya is going to be a strong-headed lady who won’t entertain anyone’s antics. Incidentally speaking Aparna Dixit has been a part of several shows produced by Balaji Telefilms. The actress was a part of Ekta Kapoor’s iconic show Pavitra Rishta, where she played the character of Maansi. Her 1st ever show as a female lead was with the same boot camp, titled Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai. She then went on to do Kalash and was last seen in a cameo in Bepanah Pyaar. While Daayan is expected to go off air from 14th Jul, 2019, Aa Dekhe Zara is scheduled to go on air post mid-Jul, 2019.

TV Actor Vivek Dahiya Will Not Host The Pre-Launch Episode Of Nach Baliye Season 9

The premiere episode of Nach Baliye Season 9 has been shot already. We will see Raveena Tandon, Ahmed Khan & probably director Ali Abbas Zafar of Bharat & Tiger franchise fame as the 3 main judges of the show. It was recently confirmed that Nach Baliye Season 8 winners Divyanka Tripathi & Vivek Dahiya came aboard to host the pre-launch episode of this dance reality show’s season. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Vivek Dahiya had to opt out of this opportunity as the actor had to be hospitalized as soon as he returned to Mumbai from his Macau vacation. Considering that Vivek Dahiya is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, there is no way he could make it to the sets of Nach Baliye 9 & shoot. Vivek Dahiya & Divyanka Tripathi had just returned from Macau & from the very next day, Vivek Dahiya has been down with a fever. The fever wasn’t going down & with severe stomach pain, Vivek Dahiya was rushed to the hospital recently & he has been diagnosed with an intestinal infection & liver abyss. Soon after Divyanka Tripathi, the Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actress confirmed the news & added, “Yes Vivek has been extremely unwell. I have been shuffling between the shoot & the hospital & luckily speaking my family is also going to be in town soon to help us out. He is still recuperating & has been asked to stay on bed rest for a few days even post getting discharged.” Meanwhile, the premiere episode of Nach Baliye Season 9 has already been shot. We will see Raveena Tandon, Ahmed Khan & director Ali Abbas Zafar as the 3 judges of the show. Salman Khan, who is producing Nach Baliye this year, may be seen in quite a few episodes as well.

Bollywood Buzz By: Shaheen Raaj Ekta Jain To Be Part Of Comedy Horror Film Khalli Balli

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Bollywood Buzz

By: Shaheen Raaj

Ekta Jain To Be Part Of Comedy Horror Film Khalli Balli

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Ekta Jain will now be a part of a comedy horror film titled Khalli Balli to be directed by Manoj Sharma.

The well-known Gujarati actress named Ekta jain who has done loads of small screen serials, a few Hindi films, some theater plays in Hindi, Hinglish & Sanskrit too will now be seen in a comedy horror Hindi film named Khalli Balli to be produced by Kamal Kishor Mishra of One Entertainment Film Productions & Prachi movies. The film is written & directed by Manoj Sharma. The film will be shot in Mumbai & Lucknow . Dharmendra, Madhoo Shah, Rajniesh Duggal, Kainaat Arora, Rohan Mehra, Vijay Raaj, Rajpal Yadav, Hemant Pandey, Yasmeen Khan, Asrani & above all Ekta Jain are in the cast of the film. 

Fw: Hindi Film Review Article 15 “Article 15 Is A Hard-Hitting Film”

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Hindi Film Review

Article 15

“Article 15 Is A Hard-Hitting Film”

Banner: Benares Media Works & Zee Studios

Producers: Anubhav Sinha & Zee Studios

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Star Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Nassar, Ronjini Chakraborty, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Veen, Ashish Verma, Sushil Pandey, Akash Dabhade, Shubrajyoti Bharat & Sumbul Touqeer

Music: Anurag Saikia, Piyush Shankar, Devin Parker, Gingger & Mangesh Dhakde

Image result for article 15

One of the burning issues of the country is the caste system. Despite relevant laws & provisions, one can’t deny that the discrimination of various communities continue with alarming regularity. At times, it manifests into shocking crimes. The political class takes advantage of these conflicts & it further creates a divide. Very few films in Bollywood have plots that actually revolves around caste, shockingly. Anubhav Sinha however takes up the challenge, motivated by the success of his last year’s flick Mulk,  which dealt with religious tensions. The result is Article 15, featuring the urban audience’s favorite star Ayushmann Khurrana in the leading role. The trailer & the content has already become a talking point.

The scripted scenario of Article 15 reveals that it is story of a righteous cop trying to solve a caste related crime. Ayan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurrana) is an IPS officer from Delhi who has been transferred to a village named Lalgaon in Uttar Pradesh as punishment posting. As soon as he joins duty, he comes to know about a case involving the 3 missing girls from the Dalit community in the village. The cops out there don’t investigate the matter, citing that the case isn’t serious & the community often files false complaints. The next day however, the corpse of 2 of the missing girls namely Shalu & Mamta is found hanging on a tree. The 3rdgirl, Pooja, is missing. One of the girls from the community, Gaura (Sayani Gupta) tells Ayan Ranjan that these 3 girls used to work under the local contractor Anshu who used to pay them Rs. 25 per day. The girls then asked for a raise of just Rs. 3 but it was rejected by Anshu. Hence, they protested & left the work. Gaura alleges that Anshu possibly violated the girls to teach them a lesson. Ayan Ranjan then decides to investigate the matter as he realizes that Gaura is indeed right. But officer Brahmdutt Singh (Manoj Pahwa), working under Ayan Ranjan, secretly tries to change the narrative of the crime. He plants a story in a newspaper that both the girls were in a same-sex relationship & that’s why their fathers killed them. In short, it was not a caste related crime but honor killing is what he tries to prove. He also forces Dr. Malti Ram (Ronjini Chakraborty) to change the post mortem report, although it’s clear that Shalu & Mamta had been repeatedly gang raped & then hung on the tree. Amidst all these challenges, Ayan Ranjan attempts to solve the case & find Pooja. To top it all, a Dalit underground leader Nishant (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) attacks police officer Jatav (Kumud Mishra) & Ayan Ranjan’s PA Mayank (Ashish Verma) & sets their jeep on fire. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.

Anubhav Sinha & Gaurav Solanki’s story is very hard-hitting & deserves to be told. It is loosely inspired by events like the Badaun rape case & Una flogging incident. The various characters, their dilemmas & of course their caste status is well put out & used. However, one also wishes the film didn’t have so many people as it becomes confusing. Also, not all contribute entirely to the main plot. Anubhav Sinha & Gaurav Solanki’s screenplay is engaging & keeps one hooked from start to finish. There’s so much happening every minute & the writers try their best to keep audiences captivated. A few scenes however should have been written in a more entertaining way. Anubhav Sinha & Gaurav Solanki’s dialogues are one of the pillars of the film. They take several scenes to another level. And the writers don’t take a safe route. The names of various castes are fearlessly mentioned & thankfully, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) hasn’t chopped off these references either. It’s a pleasant surprise that even the F-word has been retained. In 1 sequence, the characters even discuss about the symbols of the political parties & it’s easy to understand what they are hinting at.

Anubhav Sinha’s direction is 1st rate for most parts. It’s a very sensitive topic, which is why most filmmakers have feared taking it up. Anubhav Sinha only makes a film out of it, he does a fine job & also ensures the various communities don’t get offended. But one wishes he had made Article 15 in a more commercial way. His earlier film Mulk was easy to comprehend & also had a thrill element & that made it more mainstream. Article 15 is entertaining & massy only in parts. In a few scenes, it seems like a docu drama. A few moments however are very memorable & keep lingering in one’s mind for a long time. The shots where sewer cleaners enter the gutters without any safety equipment is bound to haunt viewers. Another brief but powerful shot is how political workers put up the banner of the upcoming rally on the very wall where posters of missing Pooja are pasted. It’s quite an interesting way to subtly tell viewers about how society has got the priorities all wrong.

Article 15’s initial scene is quite a shocker but then the interest levels drop. The 1st ever 10 to 15 minutes are spent in introducing the characters & the setting. It’s when the dead bodies are found that the film rises again. The complexities are laid out very well & one begins to see with interest how Ayan Ranjan wades through these challenges & attempts to bring justice. One of the most memorable sequences of this hour & also the film is when Ayan Ranjan gets outraged after knowing the caste status of fellow cops & how there are plenty of hierarchies. The intermission point takes the cake as the finest scene of the film & will surely be greeted with claps in cinema halls. It also excites audiences as they expect the 2nd half to be even better. In the 2nd hour however, the film gets quite complicated. The subplots of Nishant & the Mahant ji are interesting & even realistic but don’t gel well with the main plot. On the positive side, the twist in the tale is unpredictable. The scenes of Nihal Singh & his sister give goosebumps. Also, the sequence of Ayan Ranjan being interrogated by the CBI is arresting. The climax is quite impressive & the film ends on a fantastic note.

Music has no scope in the film & it’s not relegated even in the background. “Kahab Toh” is played in the opening credits & its lyrics are quite sharp. “Shuru Karein Kya” is played during the end credits & though it is catchy, this rap track looks out of place considering the theme of the film. Mangesh Dhakde’s background score is not consistent but the exhilarating music elevates impact. Ewan Mulligan’s cinematography is quite raw & suits a film of this genre. Nikhil Kovale’s production design is realistic. Overall, the look of the film is quite rich & even a bit haunting & it works. Vishakha Kullarwar’s costumes are straight out of life, especially the ones worn by the marginalized communities. Yasha Ramchandani’s editing is appropriate.

Performance wise Ayushmann Khurrana is in top form. He’s mostly known for quirky roles but last year, he surprised everyone by excelling in the thriller Andhadhun. In Article 15 however, he goes one step ahead as there’s no scope for comedy at all here. Yet, he comes out with flying colours. Even with his silences & eye movements, he conveys so much. Article 15 has created a buzz also because he’s there in the film & he ensures he doesn’t disappoint his fans & admirers. Manoj Pahwa leaves a huge mark. Anubhav Sinha extracts the best from him, last year he rocked in Mulk, and now with this flick, he yet again impresses. Watch out for the scenes when he charges towards Jatav & in the 2nd half when he confronts Jatav. Kumud Mishra is the surprise of the film. His role is very well fleshed out & with his performance, he takes it on a high. He gets to be in a clapworthy sequence in the 2nd half. He also contributes to the comic quotient in the movie. Sayani Gupta is efficient. She arguably did a similar role in Jolly LLB 2 (2017) where also she was begging the powerful people for justice. But here, the setting is different & she tries her best to ensure her performance doesn’t remind one of any previous performance. Her breakdown scene is chilling. Isha Talwar (Aditi) is decent & her chemistry with Ayushmann Khurrana is quite fresh. Aakash Dabhade as Satyendra Rai has a crucial part & is well cast. Mohamed Zeeshan Ayyub gives a powerful performance & even suits his character. It’s a well written part but one wishes his later portions had more impact to the overall plot. Ronjini Chakraborty is quite confident. Nassar as CBI official is apt. The actors playing Anshu, Amla the maid, Nihal Singh & Mahant are also fine.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Article 15 is a hard-hitting film that raises some important issues related to caste, that are plaguing the country.

At the box office turnstiles, the powerful plot & the brand Ayushmann Khurrana will ensure that it gets a decent footfalls in the multiplexes.

Mumbai Rains, Weather Today Live Updates: Airport resumes operation, traffic snarls reported across city

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Mumbai Rains, Weather Forecast Today Live News Updates: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Konkan, Goa and north Madhya Maharashtra regions, including Mumbai, this week.

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Mumbai received heavy rainfall this morning resulting in traffic jams across the city and suburbs while flight operations came to a brief halt at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. However, no flights were cancelled. The services were stopped at 9.12 am and later resumed at 9.31 am.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Konkan, Goa and north Madhya Maharashtra regions, including Mumbai, this week. The heavy downpour has been attributed to the cyclonic circulation persisting over south Gujarat and Maharashtra.

“Along with the cyclonic circulation, there is plenty of moisture that is getting pumped-in from the Arabian Sea. Collectively, this is causing heavy to very heavy rainfall over the region. This will continue over Konkan and Goa, north Madhya Maharashtra till July 11,” said Anupam Kashypai, head, weather department, IMD, Pune.

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