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JDS workers pelt stones on Hassan BJP MLA’s residence

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Hassan BJP MLA Preetham Gowda’ supporter has been injured in stone pelting by Janata Dal (Secular) workers at MLA’s residence on Wednesday. Reacting to the incident Preetham Gowda said that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has instructed his party workers to harm my family and murder him.

State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said that BJP will hold protest in Hassan to condemn the attack on BJP MLA Preetham Gowda’s residence. While condemning the attack, Yeddyurappa said attempts are being made to intimidate opposition leaders.

The lone BJP MLA from JDS-dominant Hassan district, Preetham Gowda allegedly made controversial remarks against JD(S) chief and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda in BS Yeddyurappa’s audio clip, according to reports. CM Kumaraswamy has written to Speaker Ramesh Kumar indicating that his office had been brought into disrepute in the recordings. “Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda (of BJP) was also present. The words I have heard have hurt me deeply. I could not have imagined that a member of the Legislature would speak in such a manner about the Speaker. I have sent the recording to you. As the Leader of the House, I would like you to consider the recordings and take suitable action as per law,” Wrote CM Kumaraswamy.

Agencies

‘Feel like rape survivor,’ says Speaker K R Ramesh

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Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar compared himself to a “rape survivor” having to undergo repeated questioning as he referred to repeated charges against him being part of the controversial audio tapes, over which government has announced a special investigative team or an SIT.

On Tuesday, the speaker, pointing to repeated reference to charges against him, said his “situation was like that of a rape victim, as they too are supposedly questioned about the incident repeatedly”.

A day before, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had announced an SIT probe into the audio clip in which BJP Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa is reportedly heard luring a JD(S) legislator in what the Congress-JD(S) government describes as the party’s attempt to topple their coalition.

Kumaraswamy had accepted an “advice” by an emotional speaker to constitute an SIT to probe the episode to “establish the truth” as his name has also been dragged with the charge that he had been “booked” for Rs. 50 crore.

The stand-off between the government and opposition continued in the assembly today as the BJP stuck to its strong opposition to the SIT, saying it could be used for “political vengeance”.

“Let’s discuss and try to find a solution,” the speaker announced as he adjourned the assembly proceedings to Wednesday morning.

The speaker’s decision came after Mr Yeddyurappa, the leader of the opposition, pointed out that no effort was made by the Chair to seek the opinion of the opposition before deciding on the investigation agency to inquire into the case.

“SIT is being imposed on us forcefully,” he said.

Yeddyurappa expressed apprehensions about the SIT as it comes under the Chief Minister and said he was firm on his stand to quit politics if it was proved he was present during conversations between the persons in the audio on a “Rs. 50 crore offer to book” the speaker, as alleged by HD Kumaraswamy.

Accusing the Chief Minister of hatching a conspiracy against him by “twisting facts”, he said Kumaraswamy has released the audio partially, to save his seat.

The BJP has objected to the SIT and insisted on constituting a House committee or a judicial probe. They also said that the probe cannot be conducted by an agency that is under the Chief Minister as he too was a party in the case.

The political war over charges of horse-trading had escalated in Karnataka on Friday with Mr Kumaraswamy releasing the audio clip.

As the House met for the day, opposition members requested the Chair to reconsider the decision to hand over the probe to the SIT.

Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar alleged that Kumaraswamy was behind the audio conversation as he was the one who sent Sharan Gouda, son of the MLA Naganagouda, who was being lured and he also heard the conversation between the two individuals via a conference call.

“So the CM is the offender, he is the first accused in the case,” he said.

Another senior BJP member Madhu Swamy, questioning the constitution of the SIT, said the probe report can only be submitted to court by the SIT and not to the government or the Chair.

Mr Kumaraswamy expressed surprise about being called A1 by BJP in the case and said that since the leader of the opposition and other members have called him accused, “at least to punish me, a comprehensive inquiry has to happen.”

Claiming complete confidence of the Congress and JD(S) legislators, Mr Kumaraswamy spoke of the need to amend the anti-defection law and said if an elected legislator resigns, he should not be allowed to contest elections for five years.

The chief minister said he was also ready for a discussion on the alleged 2014 video CD about the cash for vote allegedly involving him, which was raised by the BJP.

Agencies

Husband gets ten years imprisonment

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MThe first additional district and sessions court here awarded ten years jail term to a person who tried to kill his wife by stabbing her in the abdomen for not giving him money to buy liquor. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 16,000 on him.

The person who was handed down this sentence happens to be Ravi (44) from Belur taluk, Hassan district, who used to stay at Permannur Chembugudde here in the past. He had tried to murder his wife, Rekha, on the night of July 9, 2017. The court which found him guilty of the murder attempt charge in its verdict delivered on Monday, awarded him sentence.

Ravi, a liquor addict, used to pester his wife for money often. On the night of July 7, 2017, he had demanded money from his wife to buy liquor. When she refused to part with money, he stabbed her with a knife. Rekha, who suffered deep injuries, was admitted into hospital. She had recovered in course of time.

Daughter of the couple, Rekha’s mother, and Yogeesh, a neighbour, were eyewitnesses for the incident.

The then Ullal station police sub-inspector, Prakash Kumar, had investigated the case and filed charge sheet in the court. The court, which examined 11 witnesses, 13 documents and three circumstantial evidences, also recorded the statement of Rekha, who appeared in person. Judge of the court, Sharada B, declared Ravi guilty. Public prosecutor, Raju Poojary Bannadi, had represented the prosecution.

The court awarded ten years jail term for murder attempt and Rs 10,000 fine, a year’s imprisonment for deriding wife with obscene words, ten years jail for inflicting serious injuries apart from fine of Rs 6,000 and a year’s jail term for posing death threat.

If he fails to pay fine, he will have to undergo additional 18 months inside prison.

Ravi had earlier been working for a hospital at Deralakatte but he was dismissed for being a liquor addict and not working properly. Rekha works as home guard. The court also directed district legal services authority to disburse compensation to Rekha as per prevailing provisions.

CAG: Delivery schedule in 2016 Rafale contract better by one month

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Nasheman News : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found that there was an improvement of one month in the delivery schedule of the 2016 contract for 36 Rafale fighter jets in flyaway condition than the one negotiated by the UPA government.

The CAG report on Capital Acquisition in Indian Air Force tabled in Parliament on Wednesday said one of the objectives of the Indian Negotiation Team (INT), which was derived from the Indo-French Joint Statement, was to expedite the delivery of the aircraft and weapons compared to the delivery period offered by Dassault Aviation in 2007.

According to the original delivery schedule offered by Dassault in 2007, first 18 flyaway aircraft were to be delivered between 37 and 50 months of the signing of the contract. The next 18, which were to be license produced in HAL, were to be delivered from 49th to 72nd months of the signing of the contract.

During negotiations, INT conveyed to the French side that it expected the delivery of the first batch of 18 Rafale aircraft in 24 months after the signing of the Inter Government Agreement (IGA); and next batch of 18 aircraft in 36 months after the signing of the IGA.

However, the delivery schedule finally offered by the French side was 18 aircraft by 36 to 53 months after the signing of the IGA and the remaining 18 to be delivered by 67 months of the signing of IGA. This was better than the delivery schedule of 2007 by five months.

“However, Audit noted that as against the delivery period of 72 months in the earlier offer, the contracted delivery schedule for 36 Rafale aircraft was actually 71 months. The Indian Specific Enhancements (ISE) on the first aircraft would be completed by T0 plus 63 months and integration on the next 35 aircraft would be completed in eight months. Thus, there was an improvement of one month in the delivery schedule of the 2016 contract,” the CAG report said.

Further, it said, audit noted that INT had apprehensions about the achievement of even this delivery schedule, because at the timing of the signing of the contract Dassault had an order backlog of 83 aircraft.

“Considering its production rate of 11 aircraft a year, clearing this backlog itself would take more than seven years. Ministry in its response stated that the Project was currently on schedule and the progress was being closely monitored by the resident Project Management Team and also through the Inter-Governmental Bilateral High Level Group,” it said.

On commercial advantage of Non-firm and Fixed Price bids, the CAG said any savings which accrues would be due to the difference between the escalation cap and actual escalation rates, between 2016 and 2021.

These would have also been available in the 2007 commercial offer depending upon escalation rates but after the mid delivery period as calculated by a sub-committee of the Contract Negotiation Committee in 2011-12.

No relief for activists, SC sets aside Bombay HC order

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Nasheman News : The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave no relief to five activists named in the Bhima Koregaon caste violence case and set aside a Bombay High Court order allowing another 90 days to the Maharashtra Police to file charge sheet.

The five accused activists — Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Rout, Roma Wilson and Soma Sen — will not be able to have the benefit of default as the apex court said they now must apply for regular bail.

A trial court had under the Unlawful Prevention Activities Act granted the Maharashtra Police additional 90 days time to file a charge sheet that was beyond a 90-day deadline under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The activists were arrested from various locations in August 2018 for their alleged role in instigating caste violence in Maharashtra’s Bhima Koregaon village on January 1, 2018.


JSW Steel gets Letter of Intent for Bhushan Power and Steel

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Nasheman News : The Committee of Creditors (CoC) for Bhushan Power and Steel has issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to Sajjan Jindal owned JSW Steel, thereby declaring it a winning bidder for the bankrupt power company, sources said.

The development comes after the National Company Law Apellate Tribunal (NCLAT) last week turned down Tata Steel’s plea to consider its bid as the “most legitimate”.

People with knowledge of the developments said that JSW Steel has accepted the bid and the resolution professional would now approach the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the final approval on Wednesday and the procedure might conclude next month.

As per the protocol, NCLT will now have to give the stamp of approval for JSW Steel to acquire Bhushan Power and Steel.

JSW Steel’s revised bid of Rs 19,300 crore for Bhushan Power and Steel made it the top suitor ahead of Rs 19,000 crore bid by Liberty House UK and Tata Steel’s bid of nearly Rs 17,000 crore. The bankrupt company owes Rs 47,000 crore to the financial creditors.

For JSW, acquisition of Bhushan Power would allow it to retain the numero uno position in the Indian market for a long time to come with targeted capacity of 40 million tonnes by 2030.

Bhushan Power and Steel was one of the 12 biggest defaulters identified by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for insolvency proceedings in June 2017. Punjab National Bank (PNB) had dragged the bankrupt steelmaker for resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Priyanka given charge of 41 seats, Scindia 39 in UP

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New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday put sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in-charge of 41 Lok Sabha constituencies, including the family bastion of Amethi and Raebareli while General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia was entrusted with 39 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.

Besides her brother’s constituency Amethi and mother Sonia Gandhi’s Raebreli, Priyanka has also been given the charge of Varanasi that
elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s home turf Gorakhpur.

The other key constituencies under her charge include Lucknow, Sultanpur, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki and Kushinagar.

Among the key seats under Scindia include Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Pilibhit, Dhaurahra,
Kanpur, and Farrukhabad and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav home turf of Mainpuri.

Both Priyanka and Scindia are in the state capital Lucknow interacting with party cadres to chalk out the roadmap for the Lok Sabha polls in the state which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka and Scindia on Monday held a roadshow in Lucknow sounding the poll bugle for the state.

Shabana Azmi down with swine flu

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Nasheman News : Noted actress Shabana Azmi has been diagnosed with swine flu during a routine check-up for cough and cold. She is recuperating in the hospital.

However, she is using the time for productive pursuits. “Rarely, do I get a chance to lie back and introspect. This is an enforced break for me,” said Shabana.

“I have not been in contact with any swine whatsoever. But I am in hospital recovering fast,” she said. 

Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

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Nasheman News : The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018, that provides for a comprehensive mechanism to protect the interest of depositors was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

However, the Bill, introduced by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, could not be taken up for discussion.

Soon after the Bill was introduced, Biju Janata Dal’s Bhratruhari Mahtab urged the Chair to delay the discussion to Wednesday.

He also urged the Chair to pass the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2018. “There is unanimity on these two Bills,” he said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged the members to pass the Bill to facilitate its passage by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, after considering the view of the House said if all agree, she would suspend the Question Hour to take up the Bill. She then, adjourned the House.

The bill was initially introduced in Parliament on July 18, 2018, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.

The last day (February 13) of the Winter Session, which would also be the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha, is all set to witness suspension of Question Hour.


Ex-acting CBI chief held guilty of contempt, sentenced till rising of court

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Nasheman News : The Supreme Court on Tuesday held former acting Director of CBI M. Nageswara Rao guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him along with agency’s legal advisor S. Bhasuran till the rising of the court.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice Sanjiv Khanna also fined them Rs 1 lakh each. 

Chief Justice Gogoi said that in his last 20 years as a judge, he had not compromised on the dignity and honour of the court. 

Rao and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s legal advisor earned the wrath of the court for relieving former Additional Director A.K. Sharma from the agency without taking prior nod of the top court.

Holding Rao guilty of contempt of court, the judges noted that on January 18, 2019, when Sharma was relieved, Rao was aware of the court’s two orders asking the people concerned to approach the court first.

However, the same day, he signed a draft order sent by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) relieving Sharma from the CBI without satisfying whether the top court had been taken into confidence.

Sharma, who was heading the investigating team probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home horror case, had said that he could not be shunted out as the CBI needed to take the court’s permission.

Not accepting the “unconditional” apology tendered by Nageswara Rao and Bhasuran, the court in its order said: “The apology tendered, though stated to be unconditional, is not so. There is a contention that the action were not wilful, with which we do not agree.”

“We do not understand nor can we appreciate and comprehend how Mr. Nageswara Rao… being aware of the court’s order, as the first note signed by him would indicate, and when he sought an affidavit to be filed before this court by his second note dated 18. 1. 2019, could without satisfying himself that this court has been taken into confidence approve the draft order relieving Mr. A.K. Sharma from the CBI and giving additional charge to G.K. Goswami.”

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