Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for 2023

Archives for 2023

HC quashes case against CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar for COVID-19 rule violation

by

HC quashes case against CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar for COVID-19 rule violation
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Friday quashed a case against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in relation to violation of Covid-19 restrictions, during the Mekedatu Padayatra in January 2022, when they were in opposition.

The case against the two Congress leaders and several others was filed under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act and the IPC, which was challenged before the HC.

Justice M Nagaprasanna noted that the state government had not issued any notification under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act barring padayatra and such activities.

The HC also quashed four other proceedings against Shivakumar — who is also the state Congress chief — that were initiated against him under the same Epidemic Diseases Act.

“The notification which the State relies upon is the one issued under the Disaster Management Act and not under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Therefore unless notification under Epidemic Diseases Act is issued barring such activities, taking recourse to the Disaster Management Act and bringing it into Epidemic Diseases Act is unavailable,” the HC said in its order quashing the case.

The complaint against Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar along with eleven others was filed by the tahsildar of Ramanagara on January 12, 2022. It was alleged that they had violated the Government orders and went ahead with the padayatra without permission.

A local magistrate had taken cognizance of the crime and initiated proceedings.

The Congress, then in opposition, had staged a padayatra demanding the implementation of the Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery river, near Kanakapura in the Ramanagara district.

Quashing the case, the HC said, “The registration of the case and the filing of the charge sheet by the police for violation of Epidemic Diseases Act is rendered unsustainable. All other offences alleged under IPC are offshoots of Section 5 of the Epidemic Diseases Act. That having been rendered unsustainable, all other offences would also follow suit.”

BJP General Secretary CT Ravi calls for convening “Maha Panchayat” to save Hindu society

by

BJP General Secretary CT Ravi calls for convening "Maha Panchayat" to save Hindu society
BJP National General Secretary C T Ravi

Chikkamagaluru (K’taka), Jun 16: BJP National General Secretary C T Ravi on Friday urged leaders of the community and pontiffs or heads of various maths across the state to convene a “Maha Panchayat” to “save Hindu society and the country”.

The former Karnataka Minister was reacting to Congress government’s decision to repeal the anti-conversion law brought in by the previous BJP government in the State.

“Is Congress in favour of forced conversion? The anti-conversion law prohibits religious conversion by force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means. So what is the stand of the Congress party? Are they in favour of forceful conversion?” Ravi asked.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “if they are in favour of forced conversion, to save the country and the Hindu society, inevitably various mathadipatis, jagadgurus and sanyasis representing various communities, and leaders of communities — to stop religious conversion by force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means like Love Jihad — should call the Maha Panchayat.”

“Through the Maha Panchayat for the sake of self-defence and to save the country and the society, we should take certain self defence measures, and going a step ahead those who have gone away from the Hindu society should be brought back by using “Sama, Dama, Danda, Beda’..using these techniques measures should be taken for reconversion,” he added.

The Karnataka Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday decided to repeal the anti-conversion law brought in by the previous BJP government. The government will introduce a bill in this regard in the upcoming legislature session, which starts on July 3.

K’taka HC extends stay on FIR against Rahul Gandhi and others in KGF Chapter2 copyright infringement

by

K'taka HC extends stay on FIR against Rahul Gandhi and others in KGF Chapter2 copyright infringement

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Friday extended the stay on the FIR against Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate till June 23, over the alleged copyright violation of music from the hit film ‘KGF Chapter 2.’

MRT Music, a sister concern of Lahari Music, had filed the complaint alleging that the music from the film to which it has the copyright was used by the Congress party in a promotional video of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The complaint is filed under Sections 120B, 403, 465 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 63 of the Copyright Act and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

MRT Music had approached a Commercial court against the copyright violation which had directed the blocking of the social media handles of the Congress party. It was subsequently revoked by the HC after assurances by the party that the offending videos would be removed. MRT Music then filed a criminal complaint against the violation which was challenged by the party and was heard by the High Court on Friday.

Rohit Chakratirtha calls for Brahmins to emulate Jews’ global success

by

Rohit Chakratirtha calls for Brahmins to emulate Jews' global success

Shivamogga: Rohit Chakratirtha, the former chairman of the Textbook Revision Committee, made controversial statements suggesting that Brahmins should emulate the global success of Jews. He expressed these views during a program organized by Vipra Sneha Balaga in Shivamogga, where he attended to felicitate Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa.

Chakratirtha asserted that Brahmins, who are considered the highest caste in Hindu society, should rise up like Jews have done globally. He claimed that Brahmins are the accepted authorities on religious doctrines and even hold positions within the Communist Party. However, he noted that Brahmins often become enemies of their own community. To overcome this, Chakratirtha emphasized the need for Brahmins to live as “Brahmakshatriyas,” combining intellectual and warrior qualities, and strive for success in all areas of life.

He expressed concern that Brahmins are looked down upon in the country’s social structure, a situation he attributed to a British conspiracy that began around 100 years ago.

Drawing parallels with the Jewish community, Chakratirtha highlighted their historical struggle and achievements. He pointed out that Jews were marginalized for 2,500 years but managed to flourish as scholars and intellectual leaders. Despite comprising only 5% of the global population, Jews earned acceptance and respect across various fields. Chakratirtha also mentioned their diligent approach to menial tasks, such as garbage sweeping.

Chakratirtha emphasized that Brahmins should aspire to be an intellectual force in the world, following the example set by Jews. He called for Brahmins to actively pursue success in diverse fields and strengthen themselves economically. He encouraged them not to bow down before anyone, implying the need for self-empowerment and confidence.

BJP asks Uddhav to clarify his stand on K’taka move to drop chapters on Savarkar from textbooks

by

BJP asks Uddhav to clarify his stand on K'taka move to drop chapters on Savarkar from textbooks
Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Senior BJP leaders from Maharashtra on Friday described the Karnataka government’s move to revise school textbooks as minority appeasement and asked Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to clarify his stand on the matter.

The Congress-led Karnataka government on Thursday approved the revision of Kannada and Social Science textbooks of Classes 6 to 10 in the state for this academic year by removing the chapters on RSS founder K B Hedgewar and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar among others.

While Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is a partner in the Maharashtra opposition bloc of Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also comprises the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), former ally BJP has often accused him of veering away from the Hindutva ideology.

Talking to reporters here, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the revision in school textbooks in Karnataka was expected after the Congress returned to power in the southern state.

“The Congress can remove Savarkar and Hedgewar from textbooks but not from the hearts and minds of people. In Maharashtra, the Opposition wants to replicate the Karnataka model. I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray what is his stand on this issue,” he asked.

It is clear that Thackeray has compromised on his ideology for the sake of power, Fadnavis said.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis’s party colleague and BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Thackeray should clear his stand on the textbook issue as well as the Karnataka government’s decision to repeal the anti-conversion law brought in by the previous government.

Apart from dropping chapters on Savarkar and Hedgewar, the Karnataka government also plans to include lessons on social reformer and educator Savitribai Phule, Jawaharlal Nehru’s letters to Indira Gandhi and poetry on Dr B R Ambedkar in the textbooks.

Japan raises age of consent from 13 to 16 years old

by

The Japanese flag. (File photo | AFP)

TOKYO: Japan’s age of consent was raised from 13, among the world’s lowest, to 16 years old on Friday as lawmakers passed key reforms to sex crime legislation.

The reforms, which also clarify rape prosecution requirements and criminalise voyeurism, cleared parliament’s upper house in a unanimous vote.

Campaigners welcomed the reforms, with the Tokyo-based group Human Rights Now calling them “a big step forward”.

The lifting of the age of consent in particular will “send a message to society that sexual violence by adults against children is unacceptable”, the group said in a statement.

The age of consent — below which sexual activity is considered statutory rape — is 16 in Britain, 15 in France, and 14 in Germany and China.

Japan’s had been unchanged since 1907, with children aged 13 and above deemed capable of consent.

In practice however, across many parts of the country regional ordinances banning “lewd” acts with minors were sometimes seen as effectively raising the age of consent to 18.

Under the new law, teen couples no more than five years apart in age will be exempt from prosecution if both partners are over 13.

Japan last revised its criminal code on sexual offences in 2017, for the first time in more than a century, but campaigners said the reforms were insufficient.

And in 2019, a string of acquittals in rape cases triggered nationwide rallies.

Under the previous law, prosecutors had to prove victims were incapacitated due to violence and intimidation.

Critics argued that requirement effectively blamed victims for not resisting enough.

Criminalising voyeurism

The bill that passed Friday contains a list of examples under which rape prosecutions can be made.

These include victims being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, being frightened and perpetrators taking advantage of social status.

A justice ministry official told AFP earlier this year that the clarifications were not “meant to make it easier or harder” to secure rape convictions, but “will hopefully make court verdicts more consistent”.

The bill also contains a new “visitation request offence”, according to the justice ministry.

It means that people who use intimidation, seduction or money to coerce children under 16 to meet for sexual purposes will face a prison sentence of up to a year or a fine of 500,000 yen ($3,500).

The reforms also include language that for the first time criminalises voyeurism, which had only been regulated by regional ordinances before.

A penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to three million yen will be imposed for secretly filming private body parts, underwear or indecent acts without a justifiable reason.

Tokyo resident Sohei Ikeda, 39, welcomed the reforms but said he felt “Japan is quite late”.

But Natsuki Sunaga, a 22-year-old student, said she was skeptical that the reforms would stop people secretly filming others.

“I wonder even with a law against voyeurism whether it will end,” she said.

Reversing policies: BJP says Congress wants to make Karnataka ‘mini-Pakistan’

by

BENGALURU: BJP on Friday slammed the Congress government for reversing the policies of the previous government and accused it of trying to turn Karnataka into a “mini-Pakistan.”Former minister and BJP MLA R Ashoka told reporters that BJP will not allow Congress to misuse the mandate given by people. Questioning the state government’s decision to undo the amendments to the Anti-Conversion Law, he asked what is wrong with the policy to prevent forcible conversions and allow conversions as 
per law. Congress goes to any extent for vote bank politics and its government is making changes in the law to appease a particular community, he alleged.

He said the BJP government had amended the APMC Act to allow farmers to sell their produce in any part of the country and not just at APMC yards, but now the Congress government is undoing those changes to help middlemen.

The government has failed to implement its pre-poll guarantees and there is talk of industries moving to other states because of power tariff hikes, he said.

On the state government’s allegations against the Centre for not providing rice for Anna Bhagya scheme, Ashoka asked whether they think “the Centre is like their in-laws’ place to provide whatever they ask. Tomorrow, if they want to sell Karnataka, can the Centre agree to it?”

The state government requires over Rs 1,10,000 crore to implement all its guarantees and that will push the state to bankruptcy. He said BJP leaders will hold a meeting to discuss their planned protest against the decisions of the state government on June 20. 

After ‘Shakti’ launch, men’s ridership too sees a jump in Karnataka

by

BENGALURU:  Following the launch of Shakti scheme, the number of women taking BMTC buses soared manifold. The scheme is advantageous for women as it offers free travel, but according to urban mobility experts, the overall ridership too has increased, including men who have to pay for their commute.

The experts felt that there might be two kinds of shifts after the launch of Shakti scheme — one is women, who were using other modes of transport like private buses and autos, shifted to BMTC due to the fare advantage and the second is that those who were either walking to their destinations, or not commuting, have opted to use the public transport. One more reason they attribute to the high ridership is the euphoria around the launch of any free government scheme.

While the average daily ridership of BMTC is 27.34 lakh, the data shared by the transport utility shows that the total ridership was 34.94 lakh (17.57 lakh women passengers) on June 12; 40.17 lakh (20.57 lakh women) on June 13; 33.44 lakh (16.85 lakh) on June 14, and 33.28 lakh (17.67 lakh) on June 15, indicating that the number of men passengers has gone up. 

Shaheen Shasa of Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike said, “The jump in the number of women passengers in BMTC is significant with 17 lakh on June 12 and 20 lakh on June 13. On June 14, it might have dropped to 16.85 lakh, but it is close to the numbers recorded on June 12. We will have to wait and see where things settle in around 10 days.” 

“Commuters who were using other modes of transport are shifting to BMTC due to fare advantage and those who were walking have also started using buses,” she said. 

Mobility expert Shreya Gadepalli attributed the sudden jump in the ridership of BMTC due to the euphoria around the launch of any scheme, and said, “We should look at the data once things settle down.”
“I think we should allow a few months’ data to come in before doing any assessment and making any judgements,” Gadepalli said.

A BMTC official said all these years they did not have any gender-wise data and added that it is too early to predict any trends as the Shakti scheme has just been rolled out.

Heavy rainfall in Rajasthan due to Cyclone Biparjoy

by

JAIPUR: Several places in Rajasthan received heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours due to Cyclone Biparjoy, which moved further towards the desert state following its landfall in Gujarat, officials said on Saturday.

A rainfall of 210 mm was recorded in Mount Abu, 136 mm in Sedwa in Barmer, 135 mm in Mount Abu tehsil, 110 mm in Raniwada of Jalore, 76 mm in Bidasaria in Churu, 68 mm in Reodar, 59 mm in Sanchor, 57 mm in Pindwara, 49 mm each in Gogunda and Girva, 47 mm in Jalore, 46 mm each in Sindri and Jaswantpura of Jalore, 40 mm in Jhadol, 38 mm in Abu Road, 35 mm in Kotda, 30 mm in Sirohi, 26 mm in Kumbhalgarh and 25.7 mm in Udaipur till 8.30 am, they said.

Many other places in the state recorded rainfall ranging from 1 mm to 22 mm during the period due to the effects of the cyclone, the officials said.

The meteorological department has issued an “Orange” alert for Barmer, Jalore, Sirohi, Pali districts, with strong winds expected at a speed of 30-50 kilometres per hour.

A “Yellow” alert has been sounded for Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu, Sikar, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu, Ajmer, Udaipur and Rajsamand districts.

The cyclone is in the form of deep depression in Rajasthan and will further reduce to the depression category, an official said.The rainfall activity in parts of the state will continue till Monday, he added.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the state was recorded between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, Bundi recorded the highest maximum temperature of 41.4 degrees Celsius in the state, followed by 39. 9 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar.

Bengaluru: Man kill younger brother for shouting in house after drinking alcohol

by

Bengaluru: In a tragic incident reported at the Pulakeshinagar police station, a man stabbed his elder brother to death with a knife following a heated argument. The motive behind the shocking act was attributed to the victim’s alleged habit of creating noise at home after consuming alcohol.

The deceased has been identified as Karthik (30), a resident of Doddagunte. Following the crime, the Pulikeshinagar police successfully apprehended the brother of the deceased, Vijay, who had fled the scene after committing the act.

According to the police, Vijay had been summoned to his brother’s house by his sister-in-law. An argument ensued between the two brothers, and the situation quickly escalated, culminating in the tragic murder.

Karthik resided in Doddagunte with his wife, Sandhya, while Vijay lived separately. Both brothers were engaged in various small jobs to make ends meet. However, Karthik’s excessive drinking and subsequent disturbance at home had led to growing resentment, particularly between him and his wife.

Unable to endure her husband’s angry outbursts any longer, Sandhya contacted Vijay and requested his assistance in addressing the issue. Vijay obliged and went to his elder brother’s residence. The police revealed that a heated altercation broke out between the brothers, tragically resulting in Karthik’s murder.

The Pulakeshinagar police are further investigating the case.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives