Special court rejects closure report in land denotification case against K’taka CM HDK

Crime

The case dates back to 2012 and pertains to HD Kumaraswamy’s first term as the CM.

TNM Staff

PTI/File

In a setback to Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy who is set for a floor test on Monday, a Lokayukta special court in Bengaluru rejected a closure report filed by the Lokayukta police related to him in connection with a land denotification case. The case, which was filed in 2012 by activist MS Mahadeva Swamy, alleged that on the last day of his tenure as CM at the time, Kumaraswamy denotified 3 acres 34 guntas in two parcels in Halagevaderahalli which was originally meant for Banashankari V stage. The Lokayukta court’s decision incidentally came after a protest petition by the complainant yet again. “Despite being a fit case for charge sheet, a ‘B’ report was filed after the chief minister influenced the probe,” Swamy told The Hindu. The ‘B’ report is a closure report, which cited a lack of evidence. The Times of India reported that Judge Ramachandra D Huddar of the special court directed Mahadeva Swamy to appear before the court to record his statement. The activist alleged that following denotification, the said land was sold to the original owners of the land, who, in turn, sold the land to another owner party of eight members. These eight owners had again sold the land to others in joint development. The complaint alleged that all the beneficiaries of this land deal were close relatives of the CM and resulted in “pecuniary gain” for him. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 26. This means the CM will continue to face proceedings under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (punishment for criminal conspiracy)  420 (cheating) , 483 (counterfeiting property mark), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as original) of Indian Penal Code, sections 13(1)( c ),13(1) (d), 13(1) (e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and sections 3 and 4 of Karnataka Land (Restriction and Transfer) Act, 1981. This is not the only case of illegal land denotification against Kumaraswamy. In August, 2018, the same court dropped a case against him in connection with the Arkavathy Layout denotification case before the trial began.

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JD(S) alleged to have delayed floor test on advice of astrologers, party denies

Controversy

The resignation of 15 rebel legislators, including 12 from the Congress and 3 from the JD(S) recently, reduced the ruling allies' strength to 101 from 116 in the 225-member Assembly.

IANS

PTI

The JD(S) has denied specullations and media reports stating that the beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was reportedly delaying the floor test in Assembly on the advice of astrologers,. "It's rubbish and a plant by a desperate Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the social media," Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) spokesman Ramesh Babu told IANS. Refuting a report in a news blog (Rightlog.in) that astrologers advised Kumaraswamy that he would win the trust vote if it's held on Tuesday and not Monday, as decided by him, his ruling ally (the Congress) and Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Friday. "If you think Kumaraswamy goes by what astrologers, soothsayers and fortune-tellers advise him, then he would not have sought a floor test to prove the majority and save his 13-month coalition government from falling apart," asserted Babu. Admitting that Kumaraswamy and his Gowda clan believe in god, astrology and astronomy, Babu said the Chief Minister told the members in the Assembly on Friday that his family had been accused of offering prayers, visiting temples and consulting palmists. "What's wrong in that. There is no legal bar on one's faith, belief and trust in gods, traditions, religion and culture. Kumaraswamy has every right to consult seers, palmists and priests for divine intervention to protect his government from the evil deigns of the BJP," Babu said. According to the blog site, the Gowda clan, comprising JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and his two sons (Kumaraswamy and PWD Minister H.D. Revanna), has been performing special prayers for the government's survival. "They (trio) have consulted priests and astrologers who told them the government will survive if the trust vote is deferred till Tuesday evening," said the blog. Noting that it's the Speaker who conducts the floor test as per Assembly rules, Babu said the Chief Minister had assured the former that he would reply to the debate and put the confidence motion for vote on Monday and not on Tuesday as alleged. The resignation of 15 rebel legislators, including 12 from the Congress and 3 from the JD(S) recently, reduced the ruling allies' strength to 101 from 116 in the 225-member Assembly. If the rebels don't attend the House at the time of voting on the motion, the ruling combine with 102 members, including one from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), will face defeat in a House of 210, with 106 as the new halfway mark for simple majority. The BJP has 105 members and support of 2 Independents in the House to form the government and prove majority. "During the debate on the motion, Kumaraswamy brought to the Speaker's notice that the BJP has been accusing him and his family, especially Revanna of indulging in black magic and conducting rituals to prevent the government's fall," added Babu.

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IMA: ED gets 3-day custody of Bengaluru scamster Mansoor Khan

Crime

The major breakthrough in the mega scam for the ED and SIT came as a lookout or Blue Corner notice on Khan was issued to all concerned, including Interpol.

IANS

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday got three-day custody of IMA Jewellers' founder and prime accused in the multi-crore Ponzi scam Mansoor Khan from a Bengaluru court for a joint probe with the SIT, an official said. "Khan was flown to Bengaluru from Delhi on a transit remand by the ED earlier in the day and produced in a local court for joint custody to interrogate him in the scam," an official of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) told IANS.. As the ED also booked Khan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for transfer of funds to overseas banks, ED Director Raman Gupta produced him before Special PMLA court judge Shivashankar for joint custody. "The judge, however, granted the ED three-day custody of Khan for questioning him though the law enforcing agency sought a 10-day remand. We will seek his custody after the ED interrogates him," said the SIT official. The SIT, set up by the Karnataka government in June to investigate the cheating case, has so far arrested 23 people, including seven directors of the IMA. The Delhi Police produced Khan before Duty Magistrate Harjit Singh Jaspal in New Delhi on Friday night for transit remand to take him to Bengaluru where his company is headquartered. Khan was arrested at the international airport early on Friday on arrival from Dubai on an Air India flight by the ED sleuths. The major breakthrough in the mega scam for the ED and SIT came as a lookout or Blue Corner notice on Khan was issued to all concerned, including Interpol. Khan's return to Bengaluru raises hopes of about 40,000 investors getting their money and jewellery they invested in his Ponzi scheme for huge returns.  

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Vandalised structures at holy site of Nava Brindavana near Hampi restored by devotees

The devotees arrived on Friday morning and worked through the day.

TNM Staff

Structures at the Nava Brindavana in Anegundi, which is the resting place of nine Hindu saints belonging to the Uttaradi Mutt, found damaged on Thursday morning were restored by officials at the mutt along with devotees on Friday. Thousands of devotees of the Uttaradi Mutt arrived at the site to help with the restoration of the vandalised structures. The devotees arrived on Friday morning and worked through the day to restore the resting places and idols damaged.  Koppal Deputy Commissioner Sunil Kumar is now planning to write to the Karnataka government asking it to hand over the management of the Nava Brindavana to the district administration. This comes after the administration was sharply criticised for failing to prevent the damages at the site. It is a private property under the upkeep of the Uttaradi mutt and only a caretaker tasked with maintaining the site visits it regularly.  Nava Brindavana is located on an island on the Tungabhadra river in Koppal district, around 12 km away from Hampi. The site is the resting place of the nine saints of the Madhva community, a Brahmin sub-caste. They are mostly settled in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra. Read: Holy site of Nava Brindavana near Karnataka's Hampi desecrated, police look for vandals   Police officials in Koppal district formed a special investigation team to probe the incident after the caretaker of the site alerted them about the vandalised structures. The holy site is accessible only by boat from Anegundi and Ballari during the monsoon season. The district administration manages boats operating in and out of the island but according to the investigating police, the service closes at 4 pm and does not appear to have been used to travel to the island by those who vandalised the structures. Police are probing whether the damage is the handiwork of 'treasure hunters' looking for the supposed treasure of Krishnadevaraya, an emperor of the Vijayanagara empire who reigned from 1509–1529. No arrests have yet been made.

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Bengaluru prepares for water shutdown: Tankers on demand as residents stock up

Water supply

Water supply will be disrupted in the entire city between 8am on Sunday and 2am on Monday due to works being carried out by BWSSB.

Prajwal Bhat

Bengaluru residents are making alternate plans to ensure water supply after the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) announced that water supply in the entire city will be disrupted on Sunday and Monday. "Refurbishing works will be taken up starting tonight (Saturday) and the pumping stations at TK Halli, Harohalli and Tatagani will not be functional. This will affect water supply in the entire BWSSB network in Bengaluru wherever Cauvery water is supplied," a senior official at the BWSSB told TNM. An official release from the BWSSB further stated that pumping stations at Torekadanahalli, Harohalli and Tataguni, where Cauvery water is treated before it is pumped to the city, will not be functional between 8 am on Sunday and 2 am on Monday. This means that all areas currently receiving water under Cauvery Water Supply will see disruption in water supply for 18 hours.  Bengaluru residents are turning to alternative options to ensure that the shutdown of water supply will not cause problems. "We have issued instructions to residents stating that water should be stored and there should be minimal use of water. We will rely on tankers in case the need arises," Abdul Aleem, a resident of HM Tamourine Apartment in JP Nagar said.  Meanwhile, an official at a private company providing water in tankers told TNM that due to the high demand, the price of supplying water had gone up marginally in the city. "Usually, 12,000 litres of water is supplied at a cost of Rs 1,500 but the prices are closer to Rs 2,000 this weekend due to the demand," the official said. The same official added that the demand for the water shot up ever since the shutdown on Sunday and Monday was announced.  Water supply will be disrupted in all areas under the first four stages of the Cauvery Water Supply scheme. This, however, does not affect areas outside of the BWSSB's network. "In our area, water is provided by tankers all year long and this shutdown will not affect our water supply," stated Vineeta, a resident of Bellandur. In areas like Bellandur, Sarjapur, Mahadevapura and Electronic City, the water shutdown will have little effect.  

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Artist Raghunandana refuses Sangeet Natak Akademi award in protest against lynchings

Protest

In a statement, the Bengaluru-based artiste cited "mob lynching and violence in the name of God and religion" and held the "powers-that-be" directly or indirectly responsible.

TNM Staff

In response to acclaimed Kannada theatre artiste and poet S Raghunandana's refusal to accept the Sangeet Natak Akademi award conferred on him, noted Indian writers have expressed their solidarity with him. The Bengaluru-based artiste, in a statement released after the announcement of the awards on Tuesday, cited "mob lynching and violence in the name of God and religion" and held the "powers-that-be" directly or indirectly responsible. In his statement, the acclaimed poet said, “This is not a protest. It comes out of despair, a helpless inability to accept the award. I respect the Akademi, and all those who have received this award, now and in the past. I thank the members of the Akademi, and apologise.” The Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.    Writers K Satchidanandan, Keki Daruwalla, Ganesh Devy, Ashok Vajpeyi, Nayantara Sahgal and Githa Hariharan have issued a statement have "saluted" this "act of protest". "Since 2015, writers and artists have protested against the culture of intolerance and hatred promoted by the present rulers of India. This tide of protest continues. "His open letter to the Akademi describes the acts of violence, abuse and vengeance that he is protesting against lynchings by gaurakshaks; the abuse of Dalits, Muslims and women; the vicious propaganda against intellectuals and the hounding of activists; and the further erosion of educational and public institutions since the general elections of 2019," the writers said in the statement issued on behalf of Indian Writers Forum. In 2015, writers and intellectuals from across the country returned their awards citing growing intolerance in the country. The statement by the writers also called on more writers and artists to "protest against the hate politics ruining our democratic polity and challenging our constitutional rights." Raghunandana won the 2018 Sangeet Natak Akademi award, which carried a prize money of Rs 1 lakh, for direction. A total of 44 artistes, including him, have been announced as winners in categories of various performing arts.

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IMA scam kingpin Mansoor Khan brought to Bengaluru, to be produced in court

Crime

Mansoor Khan, who had fled India last month after being named in a ‘halal’ ponzi scheme scam, was arrested in New Delhi on Friday.

TNM Staff

A day after he was arrested by officials of the Enforcement Directorate, IMA Jewels Founder and Managing Director Mansoor Khan, who had fled India last month after being named in a ‘halal’ ponzi scheme scam, was brought to Bengaluru on Saturday. He was taken to Victoria Hospital for a medical examination and is scheduled to be produced before a PMLA court on Saturday. Mansoor Khan may be taken to the ED office in Shanthinagar for questioning.  Mansoor has been accused of running a ‘halal’ ponzi scheme – where the money is diverted from new investors to older investors – in the name of I Monetary Advisory (IMA). He fled India around June 13, when the scam surfaced, and investigators believe he is in hiding in Dubai. He absconded over a month ago. He has been accused of cheating 40,000 investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. In a video he published on Monday, he had said that he was unwell and that he would be returning to India within 24 hours.  On Friday, SIT head and Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) told TNM that the officials had tracked Mansoor Khan to Dubai and had arranged for his return to India. "Once we tracked him down, our sources convinced him to surrender himself. He arrived at New Delhi at 1.55 am," Ravikante Gowda said. Till date, SIT has arrested 19 people, including IAS officer and former Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Vijay Shankar (IAS), Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue Department LC Nagaraj, BDA Executive Engineer Kumar, city corporator Syed Mujahid, one religious preacher and village accountant Manjunath. Others include the 12 directors of IMA. On July 17, the SIT probing the multi-crore scam detained Karnataka MLA R Roshan Baig, who was named in the first video that Mansoor Khan had released. Baig was released from detention after he was quizzed by SIT officials for over 9 hours. Baig has maintained innocence in the case. 

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