Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court on Monday observed that Mangaluru Police should register FIR in the complaints filed by victims and the families of deceased in Mangaluru Police firing and lathi charge cases.

After allowing the bail application of the 22 people arrested by the Mangaluru Police in December 19 anti-CAA protest and violence case, the High Court bench of Justice John Michael D’Cunha heard the defense counsel adding that the police were framing people and had no strong ground or evidence against the arrested people.

The defense counsel also added that despite police firing and atrocities they had not filed any FIR. Justice John Michael D’Cunha referred to the Lalita Kumari case of Supreme Court and added that FIRs should be filed in cognizable offenses.

The Bench had sought report from the government in this regard, but the counsel appearing for government sought time till February 24 adding that the government will give detailed report on the same after divisional bench’s enquiry into the matter.

The Court then observed that the Police should file FIRs in complaints filed by victims and relatives of deceased who were killed in police firing on December 19.

The headmasters of schools had raised their concern over possible leaks when they received the question papers in bags without seal.

BENGALURU: In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) admitted that the mathematics question paper for preparatory Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination for 10th standard students, was leaked beforehand. 

The exam was held on Tuesday.

V Sumangala, director of KSEEB said in the circular, “The SSLC preparatory exam paper was leaked on WhatsApp and went viral. We have lodged a complaint with the police to find out who was behind the act. If such things happen in the future, the headmaster of the school will be held responsible.”

“Preparatory exams need to be held as seriously as the main board exam with strict security measures. The person responsible for such leaks will be taken into police custody one week before the exam begins in the future,” she wrote in the circular.

Three days ago, TNIE highlighted in a story on how packaging for SSLC preparatory exam question papers was inadequate. The headmasters of schools had raised their concern over possible leak when they received the question papers in bags without seal and only cellophane tape. 

In the previous report, the director of KSEEB had responded saying that there were different modalities for preparatory and main board exams. He added that all precautions were taken to ensure confidential and secure transportation of the question papers.

Hubballi (Karnataka): The three Kashmiri engineering students a college here facing sedition charges were arrested again on Monday after protests broke out against the police for releasing them on execution of a bond under Section 169 of CrPC.

The trio, students of a private engineering college, were arrested on Saturday for raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting it on social media. They were let off on Sunday execution of a bond under Section 169 of CrPC.

“They (Kashmiri students) have been arrested, produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody,” the Hubballi-Dharwad police Commissioner R Dileep.

The police had come under severe criticism for releasing the youths on Sunday. According to police sources, they were apprehended in this morning and taken to court.

The action came after members of right wing organisations staged demonstrations outside the police station on Sunday. Police sources said Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai too spoke to the police officials about the case.

Gowda said he was truly excited by the attention he was gaining for his Kambala feat and he was thankful to people for it. 

MANGALURU: A day after Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju invited Kambala jockey Srinivasa Gowda to take part in trials for a track event at Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bengaluru on Sunday that he is not interested in it and will focus on Kambala.

At Venuru-Permude where he was taking part in Surya Chandra Kambala, Gowda said he was truly excited by the attention he was gaining for his Kambala feat and he was thankful to people for it. 

However, he categorically said that he will not take part in SAI trials to be held on Monday. On an invitation from CM BSY, he will meet him in Bengaluru on Monday. Gowda who is being dubbed as India’s Usain Bolt said track event is a different ball game and was not sure whether he can make it big there.

“In Kambala race, heels play an important role whereas it is toes in a track race. Not just jockeys, but even Buffaloes have a role to play in Kambala. In track race, this is not the case” said Gowda.

Gowda, who hit slush paddy fields at the age of 15, has taken part in hundreds of Kambala events in his career as a jockey, spanning more than a decade and has won tens of prizes. He was unwilling to reveal how much he will earn from Kambala but said whatever he earns is enough for him and he is happy with it.

He says many successful sprinters had tried their luck in Kambala but they didn’t succeed and tripped at the beginning of the race.

Mangaluru: Suratkal Police on Wednesday arrested one person for allegedly sending obscene and vulgar messages to corporator of Mangaluru City Corporation, on WhatsApp.

The arrested accused has been identified as Bharat Shetty (32), a resident of Mudipu in Mangaluru. Bharat is reportedly mentally unstable.

The accused allegedly took the corporator’s number from a media report and starter sending vulgar and indecent messages and images on WhatsApp. The corporator then filed a complaint with local police about the issue and the investigating team arrested Bharat on Wednesday evening.

Bharat was then produced before magistrate after his arrest on Wednesday.

Mangaluru: Naveen Chandra Kulal, Taluk Health Officer of Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada District Surveillance Officer, on Wednesday informed Vartha Bharati that over 8000 people who arrived in the city over the last few days via Mangaluru International Airport and Sea Port were subjected to thermal screening in the wake of deadly outbreak of Coronavirus across the globe.

Naveen added that adequate arrangements at the airport and sea port were made immediately after the cases of Coronavirus infected individuals were reported in the neighboring state Kerala. He further added that the health department was hyper active and was monitoring the situation in the Taluk and District closely.

“Over 1200 people who have arrived in the city via sea port have been screened so far and over 7200 people went through the same thermal screening at the Mangaluru International Airport. People arriving in the city and leaving the city from these two points are being subjected to thermal screening” Naveen told Vartha Bharati.

He also informed that a couple of cruises are scheduled to arrive in the city in the coming weeks including one from Columbia and the health department would take all precautionary measures to check the passengers and crew members of the ship.

Naveen also called on people to take precautionary measures to avoid the infectious outbreak while also calling on social media users and media houses to refrain from baseless and unverified news, information about the spread of the diseases. He also added that social media reports suggested that over 8000 people in Mangaluru were “Tested” for coronavirus while in reality those were only routine thermal screening and not suspected cases.

Headmistress Farida Begum and Nazbunnisa, the mother of a girl studying in fifth grade in the same school, are those arrested in the case.

BIDAR:  The fate of seven persons who are facing sedition charges in relation to an anti-CAA drama staged at Shaheen Urdu Primary School here still hangs in balance. While two among them – the headmistress of the school and a girl student’s mother – are already arrested and remanded in judicial custody, five others on the school management board have filed for anticipatory bail.

Principal District and Sessions Court Judge Managuli Premavathi who heard the regular bail application of two arrested in the case reserved the orders for February 14. While the same court adjourned the case on advance bail of five others accused in the case to February 17.

Headmistress Farida Begum and Nazbunnisa, the mother of a girl studying in fifth grade in the same school, are those arrested in the case.

The student had taken part in the controversial play during the annual day held on January 21, only to stir a hornet’s nest. President of Shaheen Educational Institution Abudl Khader and management committee members Allauddin, Md Bilal Inamdar, Yusuf Raheem and Md Mehetab are the other accused in the case.
A panel of four advocates headed by B T Venkatesh of Bengaluru along with advocates Prasanna from Bengaluru and Keshav Shirimale and Narayan Ganesh from Bidar argued on behalf of all the accused persons. Public Prosecutor Balabheem Madansure argued on behalf of the prosecution.

The advocates appearing for the accused argued against treating the drama as a sedition case. The staging of a play comes under Freedom of Expression and the dialogues of the drama were common in any of the dramas. The public prosecutor who strongly opposed the granting of bail, stated that as the investigation is still under progress, releasing them on bail would adversely affect the investigation.

The accused may influence witnesses and tamper with evidences. The same team of advocates who argued for the anticipatory bail for the other accused referred to cases of Kedarnath vs State of Bihar and Balavant vs State of Punjab. Venkatesh placed that “the charges levelled under sedition against the management are false. Whatever the drama was played in the school by the students would come under Freedom of Expression.

Neither the prime minister has been insulted nor has an act of sedition been committed by the students of the institute. It is a politically motivated case, as the complainant in this case belongs to a political party.

As Public Prosecutor Bala Bheem Madansuri sought three days time to file objections for anticipatory bail. The judge adjourned the case to February 17.

Karnataka BJP spokesperson Madhusudhan said that he had no idea about the account being blocked and then unblocked by Twitter.

BENGALURU: Social media giant Twitter has blocked the Karnataka BJP’s account for tweeting on people with “liberal views”, the party said on Wednesday.

“It is unfortunate that our handle was locked out by Twitter for speaking the truth about liberals,” tweeted BJP.

BJP vowed that it will not step back in its efforts to bring out the truth in the public domain.

“A big thanks for your support and encouragement. Satyamev Jayate. Jai Hind,” the political party said to its supporters.

Throat swabs of three persons who got admitted at a district government hospital in Udupi with symptoms of fever on Friday was sent to Bangalore medical college.

UDUPI: In what comes as a big relief, the throat swabs of three suspected coronavirus patients in Udupi that was sent for tests have come back as negative. 

Throat swabs of three persons who got admitted at a district government hospital in Udupi with symptoms of fever on Friday was sent to Bangalore medical college and research institute for test to know whether the admitted persons who returned from China 15 days back had contracted coronavirus.

The 30-year-old man from Kaup taluk had been China on personal work and had returned to Udupi 15 days back. Upon showing the symptoms of fever, throat pain and cold, he was suggested to get admitted.

He was admitted in the isolation ward and was directed to remain under quarantine till the observation period ends and till the test report is obtained.

Another family from Mandarthi, a man and his wife, who had returned after a tour from China 15 days back were also kept under observation at the isolation ward in the district government hospital, Udupi.

Udupi DC G Jagadish has said that there are no coronavirus case reported in Udupi and people need not panic. Sources said that the three tested negatives for coronavirus in Udupi will be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, till Saturday, 37 passengers from corona-affected countries have been identified and are kept under surveillance.

BENGALURU: As on Sunday, 28 of the 82 test samples sent from Karnataka for Coronavirus have come back negative.

The outbreak which first erupted in Wuhan city of China, found its way to India, registering the country’s first such case in Kerala.

“Twenty-eight results of the 82 samples have arrived till now, and all have been tested negative. The remaining results are awaited. These include the 13 who were kept in the isolation ward of our hospital. Nine new patients came to us on Sunday with influenza-like symptoms and throat swab were taken,” said C Nagaraj, director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).

“With two more testing laboratories set to start soon in our hospital and Victoria Hospital, we will be able to get results within eight hours,” he added.

According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, till Saturday, 37 passengers from corona-affected countries have been identified and are kept under surveillance; out of them, 33 are under home-isolation, four passengers have left the country and no one is admitted in isolation wards.

“Arogya Sahayavani has reserved two seats for call receiving and redressal. Those who have arrived from the Corona-affected countries should remain under strict home isolation for 28 days from the date of arrival, irrespective of having or not having symptoms,” the department said in a press release.

The department has advised citizens to wash their hands frequently with soap and cover their noses and mouths while sneezing or coughing.

“Common symptoms include coughing, fever and difficulty in breathing. Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms and maintain at least one metre from any individual. If you have recently travelled to China (within last 14 days) or had possible contact with a coronavirus-affected person, it is advised to stay in home isolation for 14 days after your return, sleep in a separate room, limit contact with people, wear a mask and report to the nearest medical facility,” said health department officials.