NEW DELHI: Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here for questioning in a money laundering case.

The 60-year-old Congress leader reached the office of the federal agency at A P J Abdul Kalam Road around 12 noon and was seen entering the office after getting a pass made from the front office. He was accompanied by a few persons

Shivakumar was summoned by the ED last week. The Congress leader had said he was not aware of the case for which he has been asked to appear before the agency.

The agency is understood to have issued him the latest summons after taking cognisance of a CBI case against him linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets.

“In the midst of the #BharatJodoYatra and the Assembly session, they have again issued me an ED summon to appear. I am ready to cooperate but the timing of this summons and the harassment I am put through, is coming in the way of discharging my constitutional and political duties,” Shivakumar had then tweeted.

The ED had arrested Shivakumar on September 3, 2019, in another money-laundering case and the Delhi High Court granted him bail in October that year.

The agency had in May this year filed a charge sheet against him and others in this case which was registered after taking cognisance of an Income Tax department charge sheet filed against him.

MYSURU: Reiterating that he is ready to face any probe, KPCC president DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that any threatening from the BJP or agencies cannot stop him from raising his voice against the saffron party. Responding to the ED summons during his visit to Mysuru, Shivakumar said that he is ready to cooperate. “But the timings of the summons to appear before them is coming in the way of discharging my Constitutional and political duties. This is nothing but harassment,” he said.

Meanwhile, several Congress leaders came out in support of Shivakumar. Taking to Twitter, Siddaramaiah said, “In an attempt to thwart the preparations for Bharat Jodo Yatra and harass Congress leaders ED has summoned KPCC president again. While INC Karnataka continues to expose the 40 per cent sarkar, BJP is misusing institutions to divert attention of the people. I condemn this.’’ 

Meanwhile, Shivakumar visited Badanavalu village, which is synonymous for Khadi movement, ahead of senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the village as part of Bharat Jodo Yatra on October 1 and 2. The villag hosted Mahatma Gandhi in 1927 where the Badanavalu Khadi and Gramodyog Centre was established in 1927 with four Dalit women, with an intention to uplift the economy of Dalits in the village.

BENGALURU: Amidst strong opposition by the Congress and JDS members, the BJP government passed the contentious Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2022, also know as anti-conversion Bill, which makes forcible conversions a non-bailable and punishable offence, in the Legislative Council, on Thursday.

Karnataka becomes the tenth state in the country to enact such a law. The state assembly had passed the Bill in December 2021 but was tabled in the Council as the ruling BJP lacked the numbers to get the Bill cleared in the Upper House then. However, after the recent elections to the Council, the BJP has gained a majority. In May this year, the government promulgated an ordinance, which was criticised by the opposition.

The minimum jail term for offences under the newly-enacted law is three years with a penalty ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh. Marriages with the sole purpose of unlawful conversions will be declared null and void by the courts on the filing of a petition either by the wife or the husband.

The House witnessed acrimonious scenes when Home Minister Araga Jnanendra proposed to pass the Bill after a five-hour debate. A few Congress members, including Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, BK Hariprasad, tore the copies of the Bill, raised slogans against the BJP government, and accused the protem Chairman Raghunath Rao Malkapure of not being democratic, before staging a walkout. 

New law will not stop anyone from choosing their religion: Bommai

Jnanendra, who tabled the Bill, said the state has witnessed many instances of conversion by allurement, coercion, force, fraudulent means and also mass conversions in the recent years. “The incidents caused disturbance of public order and currently there is no legislation in existence in the state to prevent such instances, which cause disturbance to public order, and to punish persons indulged in such conversions.”
He added that many Dalits, who had converted to other religions, were getting benefits provided for Dalits even after conversion while also enjoying the benefits offered to minorities. “The new law will stop such persons from snatching away the facilities provided for Dalits,” he said.

During the discussion on the Bill, the opposition members termed the bill ‘unconstitutional’ and that it would snatch people’s fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution to profess, practice and propagate any religion of their choice.

The Upper House witnessed heated exchange of words between the members of the ruling and opposition parties, including CM Basavaraj Bommai and opposition leader Hariprasad. The latter said the Bill was a conspiracy against equality and to continued treating Dalits and people from other underprivileged sections as second-grade citizens.

He also said the hidden agenda was to target minorities and said the Christian population in the country was seeing a declining trend. “As per the census in 2001 and 2011, the Christian population was 2.34% and 2.30% respectively, in India, and the same in Karnataka was 1.91% and 1.87%,” he said. “Those who feel there is no equality and respect for them in their religion will leave it and embrace another religion. Why do you need to stop them from choosing the religion they want?” Hariprasad questioned.

Bommai clarified that the new law will not stop anyone from choosing any religion but only prohibits forcible conversion and conversion done by allurement. The ruling party members joined him in saying this was not an anti-conversion Bill but was to protect religions.

PUNISHMENT
Jail term of 3 years to 5 years with Rs 25,000 as penalty for first-time offence.
Jail term of 3 years to 10 years with Rs 50,000 penalty for converting minors, persons of unsound mind, women, or persons belonging to the SC/ST.
Jail term of 3 years to 10 years with Rs 1 lakh penalty for mass (two or more) conversion
Jail term not less than 5 years with Rs 2 lakh penalty for second-time offence.

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday approved the inclusion of certain communities in the lists of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, fulfilling long-pending demands from these states.

The decision, taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was welcomed warmly by the states concerned.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said 12 communities from Chhattisgarh will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state. He said the demand was pending for 15 years.

In poll-bound Himachal Pradesh, the Hattee community of the Trans-Giri area in Sirmour district will be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes for the state, Munda said, adding that the decision would benefit 1.6 lakh people.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur thanked Modi and Munda for accepting the long-pending demand of the people of the hill state and pointed out that the Hattee community straddles Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The Hattees of Uttarakhand in the Jaunsar region have similar traditions and lifestyle and already enjoy the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

In Tamil Nadu, the Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities have been included in the list of STs for the state. The demand of the two communities for inclusion in the list dates back to 1965, which was followed up by successive chief ministers of the southern state, including M G Ramachandran.

In Karnataka, the cabinet approved a proposal for the inclusion of the Betta-Kuruba community as a synonym of the Kadu Kuruba in the list of STs for the state.

The government will now introduce separate bills for revising the lists of STs of the five states.

After the Bills becomes Acts, the newly-included communities will be able to derive benefits under the existing government schemes for the STs.

The major schemes for the STs include post-matric scholarships, national overseas scholarships, national fellowships, top class education, concessional loans from the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation and hostels for the boys and girls of these communities.

“In addition, they will also be entitled to the benefits of reservation in services and admission to educational institutions in accordance with the government’s policy,” an official said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Gond tribe, along with its five sub-castes, was already approved for inclusion in the ST list for the state.

The changes were approved for four districts in Uttar Pradesh — Kushinagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Chandauli and Sant Kabir Nagar.

However, the Uttar Pradesh government changed the name of Sant Ravidas Nagar district to Bhadohi in 2015. The name of the district will be changed to Bhadohi in the Bill pending in Parliament.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai thanked the prime minister for accepting the demands of their respective states.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also thanked the prime minister for the inclusion of 12 communities in the list of STs and recalled that he had written to Modi in this regard last year.

Bengaluru: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has written a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday, urging his government not to celebrate ‘Hindi Diwas’ by utilising the taxpayers’ money.

The former Chief Minister said that forcefully celebrating Hindi Diwas, which happens to be on September 14, would amount to “injustice” to the people of Karnataka.

“Celebrating the Union government-sponsored Hindi Diwas programme on September 14, forcefully in Karnataka, will be an injustice to Kannadigas by the State government. I urge that for no reason Karnataka government should celebrate Hindi Diwas by utilising the State’s taxpayers’ money,” Kumaraswamy said in his letter.

Noting that thousands of languages and dialects, over 560 princely States, and diverse social and cultural practices make India a “great union”, he said, “In such a land, celebrating one particular language is injustice…”

Earlier, Kumaraswamy had opposed the Hindi Diwas celebrations, stating that it holds no meaning for those whose mother tongue is not Hindi, and demanded it be scrapped.

There was a large-scale social media outrage, also protests by pro-Kannada organisations to Hindi Diwas last year, calling it “imposition of Hindi”.

BENGALURU: Despite prices rising, Bengaluru sinking and unemployed youth angry, the BJP went ahead with its Janaspandana to celebrate three years of party government in the state, criticised Congress leader Priyank Kharge, here on Sunday.

Even the meagre list of achievements given by CM Basavaraj Bommai is a bundle of lies, he said. “Bommai claimed that over 20 lakh students have benefited from the Vidyanidhi scheme. But it was launched only last month.

According to government data, not more than 10 lakh have applied,” Kharge said. The government announced that 150 hostels will be constructed for Scheduled Castes and minorities at Rs 259 crore, but the government should check its budget before making such announcements, he said. The government claimed that 50,000 jobs were created, but still 30,056 youth committed suicide in 2021, which is as per the central government data, he said. 

BENGALURU: Senior JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy held a detailed discussion with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the prevailing political scenario in the country at former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s residence in New Delhi on Monday evening.

“People wish that the Janata Parivar, which took shape following Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement and later broke into factions, get united again in the interest of the country. That was why I initiated this move,” Kumaraswamy said after the meeting.

JDS state president CM Ibrahim, who too was present at the meeting, said the interaction was crucial following the recent political developments in Bihar. “It’s good for the country’s politics and democracy,” he added.

He said Nitish praised Kumaraswamy’s style of functioning and delivering goods to the people and farmers when he was the chief minister. “Nitish was also impressed with the Janatha Jaladhare programme that has been launched by JDS in the runup to the 2023 Assembly polls,” he added.

As JDU Karnataka president Mahima Patel too was present, there was speculation that JDS and JDU could share some seats in the 2023 Assembly polls. As JDS is focusing on only 123 of the 224 Assembly seats, it could extend support to JDU in some constituencies of North Karnataka, sources said.

For Nitish, who is said to be nursing the ambition of becoming Prime Minister, meeting anti-BJP forces including the regional parties especially down South is crucial, political pundits said. Kumaraswamy’s meeting with Nitish may also help JDS scrub the allegations of the party being dubbed the B team of BJP and safeguard its credential as a secular party.

With Deve Gowda not keeping well for sometime due to age-related ailments, the meeting also gave an indication of Kumaraswamy stepping into the shoes of his father in attending to political affairs at the national level.

“Complaining is a very easy job. Solving the problem is a distant thing. “Whose fault is it to merge hundreds of villages into greater Bengaluru and not take up any development?” Sudhakar questioned.

BENGALURU: Karnataka Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday that any city in the world would have faced a similar crisis as Bengaluru did if it received the same amount of heavy rain as it received here.

Referring to the collapse of infrastructure and many residential areas inundated affecting the normal life in many parts of Bengaluru, especially in areas considered as IT hubs, Sudhakar stated that it was true that Bengaluru city was disturbed by heavy rain. He said the volume of rainfall was unheard of in the city’s history.

He further questioned the former director of Infosys Mohandas Pai, who wrote a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on crumbling infrastructure following the rain. Sudhakar said, “What would have happened if New York City would have received the same amount of excessive rain as here?

“Complaining is a very easy job. Solving the problem is a distant thing. “Whose fault is it to merge hundreds of villages into greater Bengaluru and not take up any development?” Sudhakar questioned.

“During this crisis time, citizens must join their hands with the government to face the situation. This is not the time for the blame game,” he underlined.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, ministers from Bengaluru, elected representatives, officers and members of various organisations were working day and night. Bengaluru city, built by Nadaprabhu Kempa Gowda (ruler of Bengaluru), has evolved into a big city in terms of development.

The lakes built in those times have disappeared. Houses and commercial constructions have come up on stormwater drains. People have constructed their houses in low-lying areas and layouts. “Our government has got this situation as a gift from successive governments. However, we will take this as a challenge and handle the situation.”

“This is a gift of variations of global climatic conditions… We have to work unitedly towards building a clean and environment-friendly city,” the minister stated, also warning that nature could be disastrous.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress on Tuesday organised a protest against the failure of the BJP government in Karnataka to handle the situation following heavy rain in Bengaluru and other parts of the state at the Freedom Park.

Incessant rainfall in Bengaluru has affected the infrastructure badly and thrown life out of gear. Due to the fury of rain, the supply of drinking water to half of Bengaluru has been affected. Many regions were inundated and boats were being used to shift people.

NEW DELHI: A person has a right to practise religion but the question is whether it can be taken to a school which has a prescribed uniform, the Supreme Court observed on Monday while hearing the Karnataka Hijab ban row.

Hearing arguments on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state, the apex court asked whether a student can wear a hijab to a school where a uniform has been prescribed.

“You may have a religious right to practise whatever you want to practise. But can you practise and take that right to a school which has a uniform as a part of the dress you have to wear? That will be the question,” said a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia. The apex court posed the question to senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, who was arguing for some of the petitioners.

Considering the contention of senior advocate Sanjay Hegde that dress code was not among the subjects on which the state could formulate rules, the bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia asked whether students could come in middies, miniskirts if the state did not have the power to prescribe uniforms. 

“If there is no specific power, Article 161 will come in. If there is no such power to prescribe uniforms, can girls come in middies, miniskirts, whatever they want? If there is no prescription, then the state’s executive power comes into play. We need not follow what the HC has said. If the act doesn’t prohibit or prescribe any dress code, will the executive power of the state come or not?” the bench remarked. 

Hegde contended that the government order (GO) dated February 5 passed by the state that did not allow students to wear hijab or customary Islamic headscarf to educational institutions created a substantial disadvantage for Muslim women. 

Also in top court

‘Abhishek may seek nod for abroad visit’
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday told the Supreme Court that TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee may seek approval from a local court for going abroad for a medical procedure. A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat took note of the joint submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

Seeks ECI reply on ‘use of religion’
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice in a plea filed by Syed Wasim Rizvi, former chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf Board to cancel the symbol and name of political parties using religion in their name or carrying religious connotations in their symbol. The bench sought a response from ECI and the Centre and also asked the petitioner to implead political parties.

Seeks Centre reply on neutral laws
The Supreme Court Monday sought a ‘comprehensive response’ within three weeks from the Centre on a batch of petitions seeking a direction to the government to frame religion and gender-neutral uniform laws for divorce, adoption, guardianship, succession, inheritance, maintenance, marriage age, and alimony.

‘No govt security to pvt hosiptals’
The SC on Monday said the Centre and the state governments cannot be expected to provide security cover to private hospitals, which are business enterprises and have to make their security arrangements.   The apex court was hearing a petition seeking directions to the authorities to ensure adequate security at hospitals.