Nasheman

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

You are here: Home / Archives for Karnataka

DK Ravi suicide: No time limit can be fixed for probe, says CBI

by

ias-dk-ravi

Bengaluru: CBI has turned down the request of Karnataka Government seeking a time-bound probe in the alleged suicide of IAS officer D K Ravi, saying there is no provision in law to complete investigations in a given period.

CBI sources said that a communication has been sent to Department of Personnel and Training requesting for a fresh notification to takeover probe in Ravi’s death.

They said once fresh notification is received, the agency will examine the matter whether to takeover probe or not in the controversial death which has snowballed into a major political controversy in Karnataka.

The sources said the notification received from the DoPT has come with a request to complete to the probe within three months which was not according to law.

They said state government handing over probe to CBI cannot give time limit for concluding the probe, hence a fresh notification has been sought from the state government.

The death of Ravi, who took on land mafia and realtors, spiralled into a major controversy after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah initially refused to seek a CBI probe in the case. The case was being probed by Karnataka CID.

Opposition parties and activists then mounted pressure on the state government demanding that the investigation in the case be handed over to CBI.

The decision to transfer the probe to CBI come after Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote in March to Ravi’s wife promising a fair and transparent probe into the incident.

This came after Ravi’s mother reportedly wrote an open letter to her seeking an impartial probe.

Siddaramaiah had said there had never been a case where an incident had straightaway been referred to CBI immediately after its occurrence.

With the federal set-up in the country, the Centre could not refer a case suo motu to CBI and could do so based on a state’s request, he had said.

The state government had maintained that Ravi’s death prima facie seemed to be a case of suicide, but the opposition parties and the family of the IAS officer have refused to accept the theory.

Ravi’s family had raised doubts over the police claim that he committed suicide, saying that he was under “political pressure”.

(Agencies)

Cabinet expansion after talks with Sonia, says Siddaramaiah

by

Photo: IE

Photo: IE

Bengaluru: The Congress government, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which would complete two years in office next month, is expected to expand the Cabinet after consultations with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Siddaramaiah, who was in Delhi to attend a conference of Chief Ministers of States and Chief Justices of High Courts on Sunday, told presspersons that the decision on the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle would be taken after consultations with Ms. Gandhi.

The Chief Minister is expected to meet her on Monday. However, he declined to fix deadlines on the Cabinet expansion or reshuffle.

Decision on Western Ghats

Dismissing the allegations that the Karnataka government was opposing the Kasturirangan committee report on Western Ghats under the pressure from the mining lobby, Siddaramaiah said that his government would not take any decision in a hurry.

“The State government will not take any decision, which harms the ecology of the State. The environmentalists need not worry about it”, he told reporters.

Siddaramaiah said his government was not under the pressure from sand mafia or quarrying lobby to oppose the report. Before finalising the state response, the government would keep in mind the suggestions made by environmentalists, he said.

The Kasturirangan Panel had recommended a ban on development activities in 60,000 sq km ecologically-sensitive area spread over six states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The report declared 1,580 villages in and around Western Ghats in Karnataka as ecologically sensitive areas, but the State Cabinet has decided to include only 850 villages by dropping rest.

Environmentalists have alleged that the government was dropping a number of villages under the pressure from the mining lobby. Instead of explaining about the benefits of the report, the State government was planning to drop many villages from the category of sensitive areas they alleged.

On setting up IIT in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said that soon the State government would recommend some of the possible places to the Ministry of Human Resources Development and set up the institute in consultation with the Centre.

(Agencies)

Demands mount to make Yeddyurappa Karnataka BJP president ahead of 2018 polls

by

yeddyurappa

Bengaluru: Some top leaders of BJP’s Karnataka unit have been lobbying hard on behalf of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to give him state party presidentship at the two-day national executive which began here on Friday.

Senior BJP and Rajya sabha MP Prabhakar Kore on Friday claimed that he and around 20 MLAs met BJP national president Amit Shah and apprised him on the importance of making Yeddyurappa the party president ahead of the 2018 assembly elections. He also said some members of national executive committee will also raise this issue at the meeting.

Kore also maintained that he had earlier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to apprise him about the same.

Yeddyurappa who is now the national vice-president of the BJP among eleven others has been lying low after he denied a ministry in the Modi’s cabinet. Moreover, the Lingayat strongman has failed to make his presence felt at the national level since he is not very articulate either in Hindi or English.

Recently, Yeddyurappa had reportedly met Shah and expressed his desire to remain in the state and strengthen the party. “Give me the responsibility to build the BJP in Karnataka. I will bring BJP back to power in 2018″, a Loyalist of g Yeddyurappa said quoting his leader.

The tenure of Lok Sabha member and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, who is the BJP State President now, will only get over in March, 2016, party sources said.

Legislators who are lobbying state presidentship for Yeddyurappa said with BJP getting majority in the centre under the leadership of Narendra Modi and the recent outrage against Siddaramaiah led Congress government over the mysterious death of IAS officxer D K Ravi, the state BJP leaders are too hopeful of bringing BJP back to power in the state provided the party is led by a Lingayat leader.

But sources said the party high command is unlikely to give Yeddyurappa the party president ship because he is still haunted by several corruption cases against him. “I don’t think the national leaders will pitch for Yeddyurappa unless he comes clean in a couple of cases,” a senior BJP leader said.

(Agencies)

 

Karnataka firm on Mekedatu project, says CM Siddaramaiah

by

mekedatu

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the State Government was committed to implementing the Mekedatu dam project proposed across the Cauvery river in Ramanagaram district.

He would convene an all-party meeting to discus the project and lead a delegation to Delhi to appraise the Centre of the necessity of the project for Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah said during his reply to the debate on the State Budget.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said Rs. 25 crore had been set aside for preparing a detailed project report. The project was conceived to meet the drinking water needs of people residing in the parched districts around Bengaluru. It would act as a balancing reservoir and harness water flowing into the sea.

“There is no politics in Krishna and Cauvery waters. We are building the Mekedatu dam within our state, they (TN) will not have any problem from it, and we know how to face this legally,” the Chief Minister said.

Tamil Nadu observed a bandh on Saturday opposing the plan for the Mekadatu project this side of the border.

The Opposition parties-backed state-wide farmers’ bandh over the Mekedatu dam row, though the state government has distanced itself from it.

The bandh call is to press the Centre to rein in Karnataka from going ahead with its proposed plan build a dam at Mekedatu and to urge it to set up the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority.

Affiliated trade unions of eight state-run transport corporations of these parties, traders’ associations, retailers, vegetable traders and sand lorry operators are among those who had expressed support for the shutdown.

(Agencies)

​Kannada mandatory subject in Karnataka

by

Kannada

Bengaluru: Kannada language will be a mandatory subject in classes one to ten in schools affiliated to Karnataka board and a compulsory medium of instruction from classes one to five.

This is envisaged in the Kannada Language Learning Bill, 2015 making Kannada a mandatory subject in classes one to ten and Right To Education Act Amendment Bill which were passed by a voice vote in the state Assembly today.

The second bill amended Section 29 (2) of the Right To Education Act to change the provision “medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in mother’s tongue” to “Kannada or mother tongue will be medium of instruction in primary schools” from classes to one to five.

The amendment would help the government in its arguments before the Supreme Court when the curative petition related to its language policy is taken up.

The Supreme Court had rejected a revision petition filed by the state government seeking review of its ruling which upheld a Karnataka High Court judgement striking down its government order issued in 1994 to impose Kannada or mother tongue as a medium of instruction in primary schools.

(Agencies)

Karnataka MLAs salary up by Rs 5,000; Siddaramaiah to take home Rs 50,000

by

Siddaramaiah-Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Karnataka legislators on Monday gave themselves a hefty hike in salaries and allowances with the Chief Minister’s monthly salary set to jump from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000.

The salaries of the ministers will go up from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 per month.

The sumptuary allowance has been increased to Rs. three lakh per month for both Chief Ministers and the ministers.

The salary of MLAs will go up from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month under the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill.

There is considerable increase in other allowances including conveyence and house rent.

The salaries of the Legislative Council Chairman and the Speaker will be Rs 50,000 per month and sumptuary allowance Rs three lakh each.

The increase in salaries, pension and allowance of the legislators will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 44 crore per annum and the hike in salaries and allowances of ministers will cast an additional burden to the tune of Rs 3.50 crore per year on government exchequer.

The Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, moved by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, were passed in the assembly by voice vote.

(PTI)

Bills introduced to make Kannada compulsory in school

by

SCHOOl

Bengaluru: In a two-pronged move, Karnataka government today introduced bills to make Kannada language a mandatory subject in classes one to ten in schools affiliated to the state board and also a compulsory medium of instruction from classes one to five.

The Kannada Language Learning Bill, 2015 seeks to make Kannada a mandatory subject in classes one to ten in all schools affiliated to the state board.

In tandem, a bill to amend the Right to Education Act was also introduced by Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakar.

The bill amended Section 29 (2) of the Right To Education Act to change the provision “medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in mother’s tongue” to “Kannada or mother tongue will be medium of instruction in primary schools” from classes to one to five.

The amendment would help the government in its arguments before the Supreme Court when the curative petition is taken up.

The Supreme Court had rejected a revision petition filed by the state government seeking review of its ruling which upheld a Karnataka High Court judgement striking down an order issued by the state government in 1994 to impose Kannada or mother tongue as a medium of instruction in primary schools.

The curative petition filed by the government is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court.

The cabinet had on March 19 approved the proposed amendment bill before tabling it in the assembly.

Yet another bill to amend Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) Act, 2007 was also introduced, which seeks to increase the cap on teachers’ transfer from the present five per cent to eight percent.

(Agencies)

Congress leaders want CBI probe into past cases involving BJP, JD(S)

by

Photo: IE

Photo: IE

Bengaluru: The Congress legislators on Wednesday unanimously urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to hand over to the CBI for investigation certain issues and cases that have occurred during the BJP and JD(S) rule in the past.

A list of 11 issues and cases, including the accusation of receiving Rs 150 crore kickback from mine owners against JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, rape case against H Halappa, the Padmapriya suicide case and the BBMP fake bill scam, was circulated at the Congress Legislature Party meeting chaired by Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha.

Another list of three cases that were handed over for CBI probe in the last two years by the Siddaramaiah government was also circulated. These are the Soujanya murder case, irregularities in the Ramanagar-Channapatna Urban Development Authority and Mandya Urban Development Authority.

Many legislators, including Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, chief whip P M Ashok, P M Narendraswamy, Pramod Madwaraj and A Manju, said the government should pay back the Opposition in the same coin, by ordering a CBI probe into the cases of the past.
Shivakumar said the ruling party should effectively counter the Opposition by raising issues and cases of the past. Manju said the BJP and the JD(S) had politicised the IAS officer Ravi’s case. The issues that have been listed are fit for CBI investigation. But the BJP and the JD(S) governments in the past had refused to hand them over to the federal investigating agency despite the Opposition demand, he said.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah explained the circumstance that forced his government to hand over the Ravi case to the CBI. Opposition parties, the BJP and the JD(S), targeted the government, he said.

The chief minister, however, did not react to the demand from the legislators to hand over the list of 11 cases to the CBI.

Some legislators also took exception to the ministers for not properly defending the chief minister in the Ravi case. Some ministers behaved as if they did not belong to this government. They were least bothered about the issue and made no effort to counter the Opposition. Some ministers give prominence only to the Opposition party leaders and neglect the ruling party MLAs. Action should be taken against such ministers, Ashok is learnt to have said.

Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA Munirathna demanded that the government recommend a CBI probe into the accusation that he had kept hundreds of BBMP files at his residence. The Lokayukta had subsequently raided his residence.

The chief minister turned down the demand for increasing the legislators’ annual area development fund to Rs five crore from Rs two crore.

(Agencies)

CCTV footage at D K Ravi's residence have been deleted by CID sleuths, alleges Ravi's father-in-law

by

hanumantharayappa

Bengaluru: A day after IAS officer D K Ravi death case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the State Government his father-in-law Hanumantharayappa has accused the Criminal Investigation Department of deleting some footages from the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of  Close Circuit Television (CCTV) which was taken from D K Ravi’s flat in Nagarbhavi by CID sleuths when they were investigating the case.

On March 16, Ravi was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

According to a State television channel Hanumanthrayappa is said to have stated that the CID officials had taken away the DVR without seeking permission from him.

On Monday, March 23, when the DVR was returned the footages recorded after 10.30 a.m  on March 16 has been deleted, alleged Hanumantharayappa.

When I questioned about the same to CID SP Narayanaswamy he gave me unsatisfactory answer stating that as they were unable to open the DVR they had returned it and that they had not deleted anything.

However, Hanumantharayappa who was not convinced with Narayanswamy’s reply stated that normally backup of footages of 20 days will be available in the DVR.

The DVR returned by the CID has footages of only few days. Infact the DVR which was handed over to the CID has captured the videos of  D K Ravi going to his office, returning from his office and also  talking over his phone after he got down from his car. All these are missing from the DVR which was given back to us, which has led me to believe that the CID sleuths have either deleted those footages or copied them, he alleged.

Though the Government and Police Department claimed that the D K Ravi had committed suicide, his parents, fans and the opposition members stated that he was murdered by few influential people. The death case probe which was first handed over to CID was later handed over to the CBI by the government.

(Agencies)

Karnataka: HC tells govt to improve infrastructure in prisons

by

prison-jail-hands-bar

Bengaluru: In response to a public interest petition, that questioned the lack of facilities to convicts incarcerated in prisons in the State, a division bench of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy, on Monday, directed the State government to come up with long-term solutions and frame guidelines and policies to improve the infrastructure in prisons.

They also directed the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority to help the prisoners get access to legal aid. The bench said there must be a designated room for prisoners to discuss their cases with their lawyers.

The bench reminded the government of its duty to ensure sufficient remuneration was paid to inmates for the work they do and make them more productive. It said yoga must be introduced in prisons.

No Infrastructure

The petition had highlighted the lack of infrastructure in prisons such as shortage of sleeping berths, lack of bathrooms and toilets, insufficient bedding and accommodation. The government counsel said prisons were overcrowded and the government was “making every effort” to shift some of the prisons to ease the burden.

(Agencies)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives