Parmesh S Jain special corespondent

A 27-year-old youth was hacked to death by an armed group close to his house in Marasuru near Anekal in the early hours of Sunday.
The deceased Vijayakumar was involved in a murder case of a man identified as Manoj alias bablu in 2017 and came out of bail seven months ago.
On Sunday morning at around 4 am when he was sleeping at home he received a call and came out to attend only to confront a group of men waiting for him .
In the pretext of talk,they took him a few yards away before hitting him on his head with a wooden plank.
While jayakumar collapsed on the ground, the accused attacked him with lethal weapon and fled leaving him dead in a pool of blood 
Passers by few minutes later found the body was informed Surya city police who rushed to the spot and conducted investigation.
The police suspected that old rivalry was the reason behind the murder. The assailants wanted to avenge the murder of Manoj .
Based on the last phone call for jayakumar the police  have gathered some clues about the assailants.
This is the second murder reported in Anekal since Saturday . 

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Wednesday said it has approved “significant reduction” in tariff to commercial, industrial and domestic consumers, consuming above 100 units per month, effective from April one.

For LT (low tension) domestic lighting, energy charges have been reduced by 110 paise per unit and by 50 paise per unit for LT commercial installations, KERC said in a release

It said, the HT (High Tension) commercial energy charges have been reduced by 125 paise per unit, and demand charges by Rs 10 per KVA ( kilovolt-amps).

Further noting that HT industrial energy charges have been reduced by 50 paise per unit and demand charges reduced by Rs 10 per KVA, KERC said, for HT hospitals and educational institutions, energy charges have been reduced by 40 paise per unit, and demand charges by Rs 10 per KVA.

HT residential apartments demand charges have been reduced by Rs 10 per KVA, it said, adding that for LT Pvt. hospitals and educational Institutions, energy charges have been reduced by 50 paise per unit, and for LT industrial installations by 100 paise per unit.

“After scrutiny of ESCOM’s applications, the Commission has approved total Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) of Rs 64944.54 crore as against Rs 69474.75 crore sought by the ESCOMs (electricity supply companies) in their Tariff Applications,” KERC said.

UDUPI: On the lines of CBSE, Karnataka took a decision to allot 20 internal marks for PUC exams in non-practical subjects from the academic year 2023-24. From this year, based on the instructions from the Department of Pre-University Education, committees comprising of a principal and two lecturers are being formed at the district level.

Sources in the department stated that these committees have started visiting PU colleges to check whether assignments for project work have been completed by students and if internal marks have been allotted by lecturers.

Sources said the drive is also to ensure that evaluators at the colleges do not overrate the students by giving marks liberally. During the inspection drive, committee members have been randomly checking answer scripts of students and the marks of the respective students entered in SATS.

Udupi DDPU Maruthi told TNIE that the committee engaged in the inspection work will mainly check whether internal assessment marks have been entered in the SATS as this is the first academic year where question papers with changed pattern are being introduced.

Justice Nilay V Anjaria

New Delhi: Justice Nilay V Anjaria was on Friday appointed as the next chief justice of the Karnataka High Court, the law ministry said.

At present a judge of the Gujarat High Court, his name was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium earlier this month.

He would assume charge after incumbent chief justice P S Dinesh Kumar demits office on February 24 on attaining the age of 62 years.

Justice Anjaria was appointed as a judge of the Gujarat High Court in November 2011 and has been functioning there since then.

Before his elevation as a judge, he had practised in the Gujarat High Court in civil, constitutional, company law, labour and service matters, the collegium had noted while recommending his name.

BENGALURU: There is a rise in demand for Karnataka’s elephants in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. But the Karnataka forest department is not in a condition to give the elephant away, despite the increase in man-animal conflict in the past few months.

“There is a demand for Karnataka’s bull elephants to be used as kumkis (elephants used to capture other wild elephants) in other states as well. There is also a demand for elephants from other zoos of India. But after the incident of Arjuna, we have slowed down the relocation operation. We have also put a halt on the capture operation, as we don’t have enough space in the rescue centres. We have told the state government of the current situation and are awaiting its decision. We also need strong bull elephants, more so after the death of Arjuna, to capture other wild elephants in conflict,” said a senior forest department official, not wanting to be named.

Forest, environment and ecology minister Eshwar Khandre, had recently held a meeting with department officials, to address various issues including man-animal conflict and afforestation.

At the meeting while it was pressed upon the officials to address the man-animal conflict, capture or relocate the elephants, the officials told the minister that they are in no position to capture elephants. According to department records, there are 100 elephants housed in various camps, of which 30 – 35 can be used as kumki elephants. The remaining continue to be housed in the camps. The state government is keen on resolving the issue of man-elephant conflict and has set up task force teams to address the issue. During November-December, the forest department had listed a plan to capture wild elephants, from Hassan and Kodagu.

BENGALURU/TUMAKURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and senior Congress leaders on Monday slammed BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) for allegedly inciting people to hoist a saffron flag in Keragodu village in Mandya. Siddaramaiah, talking to reporters, alleged that BJP whipped up the flag-hoisting incident as it fears that it would lose the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.

“BJP created an issue out of a non-issue and propagated communalism. JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy too joined the BJP’s protest for political gains and the entire incident is part of a political conspiracy,” he charged.

Siddaramaiah said people from Keragodu village had given letters of undertaking to the authorities that they would fly either the national flag or Kannada flag, instead hoisted Hanuma Dhwaja, violating the rule of law. “Action will be taken against those who take law into their hands. The police resorted to lathicharge as they were attacked. Should they remain mute spectators,” he asked. On BJP leader CT Ravi’s statement that the Congress government will collapse, Siddarmaiah hit back, saying Congress has the mandate of 136 MLAs and 43% vote share compared to BJP’s 37%.

DCM DK Shivakumar accused BJP of stirring up emotions in Mandya to build a political base in the district and for political gains. “BJP candidates lost their deposit in many constituencies in Mandya and they are trying to find a political base by joining hands with JDS. Their efforts will not pay off as the people of Mandya are tolerant and secular and they won’t fall for gimmicks like this. Our objective is to ensure peace,” he said.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said BJP and Sangh Parivar, who had made coastal Karnataka a laboratory of communal politics for long, have now started their experiment in Mandya.

He accused Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka of lowering the dignity of the position he holds. He said the Keregodu villagers had sought permission to hoist only the national flag. “If BJP does not like the national flag, country’s Constitution and unity, let them go to their beloved Pakistan,” he added.

NEW DELHI: The biennial elections for 56 Rajya Sabha seats that would fall vacant in April, will be held on February 27. The Election Commission announced the schedule for the polls across 15 states on Monday.

Former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP president JP Nadda and nine Union ministers including railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, environment minister Bhupendra Yadav and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya are among the MPs retiring just before the Lok Sabha elections.

Nadda is a Rajya Sabha MP from his home state Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress is in power at present. Singh represents Rajasthan in the Upper House.

Uttar Pradesh will have maximum vacancies with 10 seats. This is followed by Bihar and Maharashtra, where the tenure of six MPs each will come to an end. The other states where vacancies will arise are Madhya Pradesh (5), West Bengal (5), Karnataka (4), Gujarat (4), Odisha (3), Telangana (3), Andhra Pradesh (3), and Rajasthan (3). Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh will have one seat each.

A press note issued by the EC on Monday said that it had decided to conduct biennial elections to the Council of States for which the last date of filing nomination would be February 15. The counting of votes will take place on February 27.

BJP members Anil Agrawal, Ashok Bajpai, GVL Narasimha Rao, Sudhanshu Trivedi and Harnath Singh Yadav, and Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan from Uttar Pradesh are among the MPs retiring. MoS for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, MSME Minister Narayan Rane, former Union minister Prakash Javadekar, Congress member Kumar Ketkar, NCP’s Vandana Chavan and Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Desai is completing their term as RS MPs from Maharashtra. After the splits in the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the RS polls in the state will be keenly observed.

Poll to be held on Feb 27

The biennial elections for 56 Rajya Sabha seats across 15 states will be held on February 27. Uttar Pradesh will have maximum vacancies with 10 seats.

KALABURAGI: Violent protests broke out here on Tuesday after a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was found to be desecrated at a village on the outskirts of Kalaburagi in the morning.

Though the protest started off peacefully, it turned violent towards noon with protesters throwing stones at shops, hotels and other business establishments at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Circle, Humnabad Base and Super Market areas.

The trouble started after members of Dalit organisations noticed the desecration of the statue at Kotnoor village. The activists blocked the state highway near Ram Mandir Circle early in the morning. Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanika Sukriwal rushed to the spot and tried to convince the agitators, but they refused to. The protesters made the DCP clean the statue and then garland it.

Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Tarannum, who too arrived at the spot, had to walk nearly half a kilometre as a huge crowd had gathered around the statue. When she requested the protesters to withdraw their agitation, they told her they would do so only after the perpetrators were arrested.

By afternoon, more roads were blocked and protesters threw stones at business establishments, breaking glass fronts. They went around forcing business owners to down shutters. Kalyan Karnataka Regional Development Board Chairman D Ajay Singh, who is also Jewargi MLA, condemned the incident and said the Congress government in the state has the utmost respect for Dr Ambedkar. Kalaburagi South MLA Dattatraya C Patil Revoor also condemned the incident.

BJP leaders too requested the agitators not to indulge in violence and maintain peace. Kalaburagi MP Dr Umesh Jadhav released a video appeal requesting the agitators not to indulge in violence.

BELAGAVI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday warned the Maharashtra government against letting its officials enter Karnataka to implement the health insurance scheme which the neighbouring state is planning in 865 border villages of Karnataka.

To questions from reporters in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah said, “Our chief secretary has spoken to his counterpart in Maharashtra, asking them not to enter Karnataka.’’

The state government has already initiated measures to stop Maharashtra from going ahead with its insurance scheme, which is aimed at helping the large Marathi population staying in those villages.

Last week, Karnataka authorities closed several outlets that were opened to help people enrol under the scheme.

The CM said he was fortunate to lay the foundation stone for the Sangolli Rayanna Sainik School in Sangolli near Belagavi during his previous tenure, and he has inaugurated it as CM now.

Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Amid rising incidents of hooliganism under the tag of religion in the state, Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara stated on Thursday that stringent action would be taken against those involved in religious hooliganism. “Strict instructions have been given to the officials of the department to take stringent legal action and the offenders won’t be let go easily,” said Parameshwara addressing the press at his Sadashivnagar residence.

Furthermore, responding to a question about the Congress party’s stand to decline the Ram Temple consecration ceremony invitation, he said, “that the construction work of Ram Temple has not yet completed. They(BJP) have rushed to inaugurate the Temple, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In this background, the party high command has decided not to attend the event.”