Karnataka cabinet expansion set for June 12, independent MLAs likely to be inducted

Politics

In the 34-member cabinet, 3 positions are currently vacant, 2 of which belong to the JD(S) quota and 1 of the Congress quota.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy confirmed that the expansion of the state cabinet will take place on Monday.  "I met Governor Vajubhai Vala and requested time for cabinet expansion. He has confirmed that the swearing-in will take place on June 12 at 11:30 am," confirmed a statement by the CM office.  ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ರೈತರ ಹಿತರಕ್ಷಣೆಗಾಗಿ ಕೊಯ್ನಾ ಜಲಾಶಯದಿಂದ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ ನದಿಗೆ ನೀರು ಬಿಡಿಸಲು ಮಧ್ಯಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸುವಂತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಮಹದಾಯಿ ವಿವಾದ ಬಗೆಹರಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಗೋವಾ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಲಹೆ ನೀಡುವಂತೆ ಮಾನ್ಯ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರನ್ನು ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡಲಾಯಿತು. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರು ಸಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 8, 2019 In the 34-member cabinet, 3 positions are currently vacant, 2 of which belong to the JD(S) quota and 1 of the Congress quota. The two independent legislators - R Shankar (Renebennur) and H Nagesh (Mulbagal) - are reportedly being considered for induction into the cabinet. The expansion comes at a time the Congress and JD(S) is making efforts to ensure that the coalition government in Karnataka continues to function.  While there are reports suggesting some ministers will step down to make way for disgruntled Congress leaders, only vacant positions are expected to be filled in the expansion.   Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier suggested that senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy will be inducted when the cabinet expansion takes place. It remains to be seen if he will be made a minister in place of CS Shivalli, the former Minister of Municipal Administration and Local Bodies who passed away in March this year.  In the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the coalition has 117 MLAs and BJP has 105.  The majority mark is 113. JD(S) State President AH Vishwanath stepped down from his position earlier in the week taking the blame for the poor performance of the JD(S) in the Lok Sabha elections.  The two parties, which contested the Lok Sabha Elections together, won just one seat each out of 28 seats in Karnataka.

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Bengaluru man walks into showroom, drives off with SUV worth Rs 18.6 lakh

Crime

Although the customer Jose Thomas had stolen the vehicle in January, a complaint was filed four months later in May.

TNM Staff

Image for representation | Wikimedia Commons/ CC 3.0/ Yohaan

What is it like to get an SUV for just Rs 2 lakh? That is what a customer who arrived at a Nissan showroom in Bengaluru has allegedly done, albeit by stealing the vehicle in the pretext of performing a ritual for the car. The customer - Jose Thomas aka Joseph - paid Rs 2 lakh as down payment for a Nissan Kicks vehicle and requested the manager at the showroom to allow him to take the car out for performing a ritual. The customer, however, never returned with the car and has been absconding for over four months now. The incident occurred at the Surya Nissan showroom at Doddanekundi in the city on January 23. However, a manager at the showroom complained to the police at the HAL police station only on May 21, almost four months after the car went missing. The complaint was transferred to Mahadevapura police station on Thursday.  The complainant Ganesh Kumar Shetty, the manager of the Surya Nissan showroom in Doddanekundi, stated that a man named Jose Thomas alias Joseph came to the showroom enquiring about a Nissan Kicks vehicle at 6:30 pm on January 23.   After he was informed that the vehicle will cost Rs 18.6 lakh, Joseph paid Rs 2 lakh and requested to take the vehicle out for a ritual. Ganesh in his complaint states that he never returned with the vehicle. "He said that he would take the car for a ritual and come back. He has not come back till today. He is not receiving calls on his number and he is not found in the office either," reads the complaint. When contacted, Ganesh declined to comment on why the complaint was filed only four months after the vehicle was stolen.  The investigation into the incident is underway and Ganesh is seeking Rs 16.6 lakh, the remaining payment, from Joseph. According to the complaint, Joseph had promised to pay the amount after the ritual. The car had a temporary registration number. The staff tried to trace him on his mobile phone and to his office address but with no luck.  "We have begun investigations to track this man. We have collected the details from the complainant," confirmed Abdul Ahad, DCP, Whitefield division.  An inspector familiar with the case told TNM that since the complaint was made four months after the incident, police will need time to investigate the case. 

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Trump’s bid to wipe out AIDS will take more than a pill

People who are still at risk have complex, unmet social needs.

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To appease rain gods, Bengaluru priests sit in water-filled vessels with phones

Social Media

People wondered why the priests were using their mobile phones while a special ritual for rain was being conducted.

TNM Staff

Pic courtesy: ANI Image

Pictures of two priests sitting inside vessels filled with water while another priest performed a ritual in front of a fire was shared on social media. The special ritual was conducted at the Someshwara temple in Halasuru in Bengaluru to appease the 'rain god' as per a directive of the Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (commonly known as the Muzrai Department). However, the visual, in which an old and young priest sitting side by side and looking at mobile phones has become a topic of discussion on social media. Users were baffled by the sight of priests using their phones during a ritual and many of them quipped about the 'hi-tech' ritual being conducted. Pujaris connecting to iCloud https://t.co/Vfw77k0NGV ankit upadhyay (@sunny_shine1991) June 7, 2019 The Karnataka government had issued a circular stating that special rituals will be conducted in temples across the state to pray for rains after a lack of pre-monsoon rainfall left the state reeling in drought. Temples in the state were also allowed to take Rs 10,001 from the donation boxes towards the ceremony, stating that similar orders had been issued to tackle similar crises in the past. Similar rituals were also held in Sringeri, Mandya, Chamarajanagara, and Mysuru. “As a precautionary measure, the government is organising puja. We prayed in the wee hours after taking blessings from the pontiff of Sringeri mutt. I have faith that there will be good rain thanks to the blessings of Lord Sri Rishya Shringeshwara," Power Minister DK Shivakumar told The New Indian Express in Sringeri. Are those two pandit checking weather app already?!! — Axit Darji (@IMaxit97) June 7, 2019 Much like yagna done to tackle air pollution...  — Jyothi  جیوتھی ‏ (@MrsNair_1112) June 7, 2019 Are they whatsapping Indra dev for monsoon? What's the phones for https://t.co/uh42jxo914 — Confusedicius (@MauveMemory) June 7, 2019 Over 100 out of 175 taluks in the state have been declared drought hit this year. Even the state's coastal districts Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, which receives perennial rainfall, has reported a scarcity of water. The situation is similarly adverse in the state's northern districts which have been parched by a lack of rainfall.

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22-year-old woman found murdered at rented house in Mangaluru

Crime

A male companion Sandeep, who lived-in with the 22-year-old woman, is now absconding and is the prime suspect in the case.

Harsha Raj Gatty

A banking aspirant was found strangulated to death at a rented accommodation in Mangaluru city on Friday. Mangaluru City Police said that a male companion who lived-in with the 22-year-old woman is now absconding and is the prime suspect in the case. The victim was identified as Anjana Vasista. She was found dead with a TV cable cord wound around her neck in a rented house at Attavar in Mangaluru on Friday. "Upon the discovery of the victim's body, her head was found wedged in between the passage (headrest) of the cot," a police official from Pandeshwar said. According to the police, the victim is an MSc graduate from SDM College in Ujire and she was in the city since June 2 to train at a coaching centre for a banking exam. "Anjana, along with another male identified as Sandeep, had rented a room at Attavar for a 'short-term' stay and the couple claimed they were married," the police officials said citing the landlord. The landlord, Louis, told the police that briefly Anjana went to her hometown in Chikamagalur and had returned only on Friday morning.  The locals also have confirmed that they saw Anjana doing some household errands on the day of her death. However, later in the evening, a house help informed the landlord that the couple did not open the door for cleaning. The landlord, who arrived the spot, repeatedly asked the inhabitants to open the door. Suspecting foul play they broke open the door and discovered her body. Meanwhile, police investigation also revealed that around Rs. 15,000 was withdrawn from Anjana’s account through debit card from two ATMs in the afternoon. The Pandeshwar police are investigating the matter and have launched a search for the person who lived with Anjana, who is suspected to be the murderer. The FSL team, who were summoned to the crime scene collected samples of evidence. The police have informed Anjana's father Manjunatha Y N, a resident of Tarikere near Chikkamagaluru and are on the lookout for Sandeep. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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69 trees uprooted, 90 electric poles collapse as heavy rains batter Bengaluru

Trees

The BBMP's forest cell confirmed that as many as 69 trees, 220 tree branches and 90 electric poles collapsed in the storm in southern Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

The downpour in Bengaluru on Thursday has led to more than 50 trees being uprooted in the city. The BBMP's forest cell confirmed that as many as 69 trees, 220 tree branches and 90 electric poles collapsed in the storm in southern Bengaluru. This means that more than 400 trees have been uprooted at the start of the monsoon season this year with another three months of rains expected.  Officials from the cell were mostly diverted to southern Bengaluru after traffic on Girinagar main road was blocked and underpasses like KR Circle and Le Meridien were flooded, as per a report by Deccan Herald.  Even other areas in the city like Rajarajeshwari Nagar were severely affected. It recorded the highest rainfall (40 mm) and saw 40 trees uprooted. Heavy rainfall was reported at Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Jalahalli, Majestic, Hebbal, Vidyaranyapura Yelahanka, Jayanagar, JP. Nagar, Koramangala, Halasuru and KR Puram.  The inmates of two houses in Girinagar were trapped under uprooted trees for an entire night. The inmates were trapped after a tree blocked the driveway and stairs leading out of the house. They managed to contact their friends and family over phone. 

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SC pulls up CBI for not framing charges against Janardhana Reddy in mining case

Crime

It has been six years since the case against Janardhana Reddy was filed.

IANS

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the CBI for failing to frame charges even after a gap of 6 years in a mining case registered against former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, who had moved the apex court seeking permission to visit Ballari to see his father-in-law recuperating from a health condition and currently admitted in the ICU of a local hospital. Although, the court granted Reddy two weeks, beginning from June 8, to visit Ballari and attend to his ailing father-in-law, but sought a concrete reply from the CBI regarding the reason for not framing charges in the case yet. "Even 6 yrs down the line charges have not been framed yet. Why? We would like to know", said a bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi The CBI counsel contended that Reddy has been delaying the trial proceedings by filing applications at various stages of the trial. A chargesheet has been filed in the case, but charges are yet to be framed. And, this is his seventh application in the apex court to visit Ballari after being granted bail in the matter. Senior advocate S Ganesh appearing for Reddy rebutted that there have been no complaints against Reddy for violating any conditions of bail. "He had earlier been to Ballari for three weeks, but there is no complaint against him. His father-in-law had bypass surgeries and we have already placed medical records to establish the same", submitted Ganesh before the court. The CBI counsel contended that Reddy on one pretext or the other has been seeking permission to visit Ballari. "He had already been Ballari for his daughter's wedding then again, he wanted to visit Ballari to attend one of his friend's daughter wedding....he had already diluted the conditions imposed on his bail", said the CBI counsel.  The court observed that delay in failing to frame charges cannot be justified, and it is the burden on the prosecution to counter the delay. The CBI counsel informed the court that nearly 300 witnesses have been listed in the case, and that Reddy is the main accused.

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