Ads

Friday, July 26, 2019

BS Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as Karnataka CM, gets Governor's nod

Politics
He is likely to take oath at 6 pm today.
Days into Karnataka’s political drama, in yet another development, Governor Vajubhai Vala has given a nod to BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa to take oath as the Karnataka Chief Minister.    On Friday morning, BS Yeddyurappa met the Governor to stake claim to form the government as the BJP had become the single largest party in the assembly. He had told reporters, “I will meet Governor now and stake claim to form government. I will request Governor to hold the oath taking ceremony today itself.”   He is likely to take oath at 6 pm on Friday.   In a letter to the governor, Yeddyurappa had said, "I intend to state that afte the present government headed by Shri HD Kumaraswamy has lost the vote of confidence in the legislative assembly and consequently, he resigned to the post of chief minister. [...] I submit that I am the leader of BJP Legislature Party and also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. At present, the strength of the BJP MLAs is 105 and the single largest party in the Assembly. Therefore I request Your Excellency, I may be invited to form alternate government today itself and I will take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka at Raj Bhavan between 6 pm and 6.15 pm."    This comes a day after Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar disqualified three MLAs –  Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli and independent MLA R Shankar, till the end of the current Assembly’s term. The Speaker announced that the decision on disqualification petitions of 14 other rebel MLAs of the JD(S) and Congress parties will be declared in the coming days.   The Karnataka political crisis had been going on after 15 of its MLAs tendered their resignations.    What followed was days of delay in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly where the Congress-JD(S) coalition which was previously in power in the state tried to delay the trust vote. The trust vote, which finally happened on Tuesday, saw the Congress-JD(S) government lose by 7 votes as there were 98 votes for the government and 105 against.
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Yc3nuV
via IFTTT

Karnataka DG Fire Services moves SC seeking removal of DG & IGP Neelamani Raju

Court
In June this year, MN Reddi had moved the Karnataka High Court and filed a similar petition, seeking the removal of Neelamani Raju from her post.
The Director General of Police and Commandant General of Home Guards and Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, MN Reddi has now approached the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of current Director General and Inspector General of Police of Karnataka, Neelamani N Raju. In his petition to the Supreme Court, MN Reddi has requested the court to stay the government notification dated October 31, 2017, which appointed Neelamani Raju as DGP and IG of Karnataka. Reddi has requested the Apex Court to declare her appointment to the post as ad hoc, TNIE reported. The report states that Reddi requested the court to grant an interim ex parte direction to the Karnataka government to prepare a roster of eligible officers for the post and send the same to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).  He has also requested the court to consider his case and appoint him as DGP and IGP of Karnataka during the time the Special Leave Petition is being heard. Reddi has accused the former Siddaramaiah government of not adhering to the Supreme Court guidelines while appointing Neelamani Raju as the head of the police force in the state in November 2017. He has accused the former government of not sending a list of eligible officers to the UPSC before the decision was made. According to The Hindu, in June this year, MN Reddi had moved the Karnataka High Court and filed a similar petition, seeking the removal of Neelamani Raju from her post. Reddi had stated that the Supreme Court in March 2019 clarified that IPS officers considered for the top post must have a minimum six months of service left. He stated that he would not be in the zone of consideration if a fresh appointment is not made at the earliest. On June 24, the High Court division bench comprising Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice R Devadas directed the matter to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The CAT had rejected Reddi’s application on the matter last week. DGP and IG Neelamani Raju is a 1983 batch IPS officer and MN Reddi is second in line for the post of DGP and IG as he is from the 1984 batch.    
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2JTaXlf
via IFTTT

BJP awaits Speaker's verdict on 14 Karnataka rebel MLAs before staking claim to form govt

Politics
BJP leaders, including former CM BS Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar, flew to New Delhi on Thursday to meet the high command and discuss the scenario.
Despite the fall of the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, the BJP is yet to stake claim to form the government and is treading carefully. According to senior BJP sources, the party is not in a hurry to stake the claim to form the government. BJP leaders including former CM BS Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar flew to New Delhi on Thursday to meet the high command and discuss the scenario.  BJP insiders say that the national leaders have advised them to watch out for the Speaker's decision of the resignations of the 14 MLAs in Mumbai and then take a call on whether to form a government or introduce President's rule.  Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday evening disqualified MLAas Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumatahalli (Athani) and R Shankar (Ranebennur).  Meanwhile, the Finance Appropriation Bill, which was introduced by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on July 12, needs to be passed by both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council before July 31.  "If the finance bill is not passed before July 31, then the Assembly will have to be suspended as a constitutional crisis will be created. I urge all political parties to ensure that such a situation does not arise. In case this happens, then President's rule is imminent," Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said.  BJP sources say that the state leaders discussed the possibility of President's rule and also regarding the party cadre unwilling to allow the rebels to contest on a BJP ticket in case the situation arises.  "It is not practically possible to allow all rebels from Bengaluru to become ministers. Naturally they will demand tickets to contest from their current segments. In case they win, they will have to be given Ministerial berths. Initially, the party had expected the Speaker to accept the resignations. In that case, the we had decided to give them Minister berths for six months and then when bye-elections arrived, they would probably not be given tickets," the BJP source added. The 14-month-old Congress-JD-S government lost the trust vote by 105-99 in the House on Tuesday after three weeks of intense power struggle in the state. Several senior BJP leaders from Karnataka met party chief Amit Shah and working president J.P. Nadda at the party headquarters, here on Thursday, to discuss the political situation in the state. They included Jagadish Shettar, Basavraj Bommai and Arvind Limbavali, sources said.  
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2yaxXFD
via IFTTT

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Karnataka Speaker disqualifies three rebel MLAs till the end of the assembly term

Politics
The Speaker insisted that the MLAs will not be eligible to contest elections until the current Assembly's term expires in 2023
Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday announced that rebel Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli have been disqualified till the end of the current Assembly’s term. The Speaker also said that R Shankar, who earned the moniker of Pendulum for switching his allegiances frequently, has been disqualified till the end of the assembly's term. The Speaker announced that the decision on disqualification petitions of 14 other rebel MLAs of the JD(S) and Congress parties will be declared in the coming days. The Speaker made his decision based on a disqualification petition filed by the Congress in February 2019 against Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli. The Congress had asked for their disqualification for anti-party activities. The petition against these two MLAs was re-issued when they tendered their resignations in July. The Speaker said that he was disqualifying the two MLAs and R Shankar on the basis of Section 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule. The Speaker has considered the act of resignation as the MLA voluntarily giving up his membership from the political party.. The Speaker insisted that the MLAs will not be eligible to contest elections until the current Assembly's term expires in 2023. Hence, their prospect of becoming ministers in the possible eventuality of the BJP forming the next government is out of contention. However, the three MLAs have the option of approaching the court against the Speaker's decision. "Until the Assembly is dissolved and fresh elections are held to elect the 16th Legislative Assembly, these MLAs will not be able to enter the Assembly until the term of the 15th Assembly is over. They can appeal the order in the Supreme Court if they want," Ramesh Kumar further told reporters. The Speaker also said that no one should misinterpret Article 164 and that these three MLAs cannot re-contest elections till this Assembly ends. Article 164 (1B) of the Constitution says that a member who has been disqualified cannot be made a minister till the expiry of his or her term, or until he or she is reelected. Is R Shankar a Congress MLA? R Shankar who won from Ranebennur constituency contesting as a candidate of the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Paksha (KPJP), had declared in June that he was merging his party with the Congress. However, there was ambiguity over whether the merger was completed as KPJP had not completed the necessary paper work. The Speaker, however, says that the formalities were completed in the last week of June. He told the media, "On June 14, 2019, R Shankar and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah both submitted letters. Shankar had stated that since he was the only KPJP member in the Assembly, he can merge with the Congress. He submitted a letter to this effect and had requested me to take the next course of action. Siddaramaiah had also said that all formalities were completed and that Shankar was inducted into the Congress party as an associate member. On June 25, 2019, I wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Speaker's office saying Shankar is now a member of the Congress party and to allot a seat with the Congress leaders in the Assembly." Therefore, the Speaker has used Section 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule to disqualify Shankar. Took time to decide Delivering his verdict on the resignations of just three MLAs, the Speaker said that he wanted to be careful as the country was watching him. “Several MLAs have tendered their resignations and the Congress Legislature Party leaders have appealed for their disqualification. These MLAs who resigned also appealed to the Supreme Court. I have considered the arguments of all parties and also the Supreme Court's interim order and in order to ensure that things are not done in a hurry,” he told reporters.  “I took time to consider the issue. The issue of resignations and disqualification of the MLAs was heard in the Speaker's court, which is a quasi-judicial authority,” he added.  Explaining his decision on Ramesh and Mahesh, he said, “Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumatahalli submitting their resignations when I was not in office and lied to the Supreme Court that I absconded from the office. And they expect me to accept that their resignations are voluntary and genuine. And when I called them for a hearing, they did not show up. I therefore hold that Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumatahalli have incurred disqualification for being a member of the Legislative Assembly as per 2 1 (a) of Schedule 10 of the Constitution.” BJP will not stake claim? Though BS Yeddyurappa was all set to stake claim to form a new government, the BJP high command was skeptical and wanted him to wait till there was more clarity on the Speaker's decision. The developments on Thursday may further prompt the BJP to wait and watch and consider the possibility of President’s rule till the time bye-elections are completed in these seats.      
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2JQ9snE
via IFTTT

Large B'luru apartments without sewage treatment should face criminal charges: NGT panel

Environment
s the rejuvenation works for Bellandur-Varthur lakes continue, the state government has finally transferred the Rs 500 crore fine as directed by the NGT.
The National Green Tribunal-appointed committee monitoring the rejuvenation of Bellandur and Varthur lakes has asked for filing of criminal cases against large apartments which do not have sewage treatment plants (STPs) and dump their sewage into the lakes. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has also been asked to stop the supply of water in these apartments. As the rejuvenation works for Bellandur-Varthur lakes continue, the state government has finally transferred the Rs 500 crore fine amount as directed by the NGT in its order. These developments came to light as the committee, which is monitoring the lake rejuvenation process, apprised the local residents. The two lakes, once full of life, were reduced to cesspools of sewage and sludge due to the increased flow of untreated sewage. While not much was done by the authorities despite much noise from civil society, it was the NGT which took suo motu cognisance of the matter in 2016 and indicted the state and local authorities like BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), BWSSB and the KSPCB (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board).  The committee headed by former Lokayukta and Supreme Court Judge Justice (retired) Santosh Hegde and including veteran scientist and member of the committee TV Ramachandra, is overseeing the process after the green court found the state government was not fulfilling its promises.  The Bellandur lake as planned is currently being de-watered and temporary sewage diversion channels are being created. Desilting process will start once the lake is free of water as directed by the same committee. For the desilting process, the BBMP has also identified quarry and pits for the dumping of silt from the lake. The NGT has also directed that no concretisation of stormwater drains should take place and has asked for a report on encroachments of stormwater drains from Agara-Bellandur-Varthur. The committee also observed that BBMP has to take responsibility and do fumigation to control mosquito menace due to the drying of the lake bed. If all goes well, the committee has promised that the two lakes will be restored in 18-24 months and will be a model of lake restoration for the entire country.
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2JW6wEQ
via IFTTT

After sexual assault by students, K’taka college bars phones, male-female interaction

Gender
Confirming all new regulations but the restriction on male-female interaction, college authorities told TNM that the rules were for students’ welfare.
Image for representation
Earlier this month, five college students from Puttur in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman studying in the same college. They circulated the video, and the complainant - the survivor - revealed that the men had sexually assaulted her in the end of March.  Needless to say, the incident shook up the college students and administration. However, the college authorities’ response to the incident has been to impose restrictions on students’ movements and communication, rather than sensitising them.  The new regulations The new regulations announced last week include students being barred from bringing mobiles to the campus, and barring them from leaving the campus premises during the school hours. The students have also been told to completely vacate the campus post the class hours.They are also mandated to either avail lunch services (yet to be arranged) within the campus, or bring their own meals. The college authorities confirmed these regulations to TNM. The students were miffed by these new regulations and staged a protest against them last Wednesday. The next day, students found that the authorities had locked the main gate of the college. "Few teachers and the campus security at the gates asked us to go back, and we were not told when the classes will resume" a student of the college said. Justifying the move, the President of the Management of College, said that all these measures were enacted keeping in mind the students’ welfare. “The student and parents must agree to follow the new rules and regulations that will aid in creating a safe and conducive educational environment for all, and only after that we can talk about the continuity of their academics," he said. Some students, under the condition of anonymity, also told TNM that authorities have orally communicated that there cannot be any interaction between boys and girls. The college authorities, however, denied that they had given such an instruction. Nuanced approach to sexual crimes  While the college authorities did not specifically say that these new moves were put in place in reaction to the sexual assault, education and gender experts say that institutions must avoid knee-jerk reactions and instead take a nuanced approach to sexual crime and conflict between genders.  Dr Sangeeta Saksena, Co-founder at Enfold Proactive Health Trust, said that a crime is a symptom of a disease, and generally, it cannot be fixed by yet another rule, punishment or a knee-jerk reaction. “It's a bigger issue that requires a lot of life skills and education. By life skills, I mean, self-awareness, respect, responsibility, and accountability.  These are the things that need to be built into our parenting, into our education, right from preschool and higher schooling onwards,” she said. According to her, we require a much more participatory approach to tackling gender based violence. “If a crime has been committed, all those impacted by the crime including the college staff, the management, the wide body of students, the student council and possibly parents need to be involved. They all need to come together and discuss and arrive at  various actionable ways, so that such a thing is prevented and doesn’t happen again." Dr Rita Noronha, Director, Centre for Development Studies and Education (CEDSE), said that gender issues are highly complex, and introducing new rules does not ensure that an incedent of sexual violence doesn’t recur. “While most educational institutions are structured to focus around good marks, ranks and employability point of view, schools must also focus on sensitising students on gender education at a very early stage. This will not only create a gender friendly environment at campuses, but also help them to co-exist with male or female colleagues at their workplace in the future. The impact of gender-sensitisation studies by educational institutions has a longer, larger and better impact on the society,” she said. She adds that students aren’t truly educated if they come out with socially-insensitive mind-set. “They must be apprised of the ill-effects of injustices on their women that come along with patriarchal and gender-biased thought processes. The students who come out with critical questioning, social awareness, imbibe new patterns of thinking. This will enable boys and girls to interact freely and safely, and eventually remove the unwanted apprehensions.” Students agreeing under pressure? The college authorities however, are unmoved by 'external criticism' as most parents have reconciled with the decisions taken by the college.  "On Monday, about 25% of parents and students had visited the campus and complied to the rules. By Wednesday almost 90% were in agreement. The wards have spoken to the class-teachers and resumed their studies. There are few more students whose parents are supposed to reach from other districts. They have confirmed meeting with the faculties by Saturday," the principal said. Students however, alleged that the college authorities have involved their parents in order to quell dissent. A member of the student alumni said, "As both parents and students did not want to risk academics by being barred by the college, they have agreed."  (Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ydv5Ys
via IFTTT

Forced to wear same uniform daily, a Class 4 boy moves K'taka HC for second set

Education
Manjunath Devappa Harijan has to wear the same school uniform for six days a week. Per RTE norms, the state government should have given him a second set.
The family of an 8-year-old Dalit boy from Karnataka’s Koppal district has moved the Karnataka High Court demanding that the state government provide him a second set of school uniform, shoes, socks, books and stationery as prescribed by the Right to Education Act.   Manjunath Devappa Harijan, a Class 4 student at the Kuvempu Centenary Primary School, has to wear the same school uniform for six days a week as the state government has not provided him with a second set, as prescribed by RTE norms. His father, Devappa Basappa Harijan, who works as a supplier for a small convenience store in Kinnal village of Koppal district, has run from pillar to post and made several representations to the school principal, the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) of Koppal district and even to the Principal Secretary of Primary Education, to no avail. “Since January this year, I have been running from one government office to another, from Koppal to Bengaluru for the last few months meeting officials and asking them to give my son a second set of school uniforms, notebooks, shoes and stationery as the government had promised. When I met the Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar, he told me to go home as the government does not have funds to give backward districts. He just dismissed me,” Devappa told TNM. “For the last two years, the government was providing at least one set of stitched uniforms. This year, they gave us materials and told us we had to get it stitched. When we informed them that we did not have money to give the tailor, the DDPI gave us Rs 20 and asked us to get it stitched. Why should we face such an insult just because we are Dalits? Under RTE it is the right of every SC and ST student to get two sets of school uniforms. We were only asking what was promised,” Devappa Harijan added. Disappointed with the apathy shown to him, 8-year-old Manjunath then filed a writ petition with the Karnataka High Court on March 17. The case came up for hearing on Monday. According to Manjunath Harijan’s counsel Ajith Anand Shetty, the case was heard by Chief Justice of Karnataka AS Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad, who reprimanded the state government for its apathy. The Chief Justice pulled up the Karnataka government for neglecting school children across the state. The government conceded to the court that the Centre had not allocated adequate funds to the state under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme and the fund crunch was the primary cause for the government’s inability to provide the second set of uniforms. “The judges were angry and told the government that it is their duty to arrange for funds to ensure that children do not suffer. The judges also asked the government to furnish information on the funds that were allocated and give a proper explanation about the spending,” Ajith Shetty said. Speaking to TNM, Purushottam Kumar, programme director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Karnataka, said that state government had been providing two sets of uniforms until the 2014-15 academic year as the Centre had allocated the funds it had demanded. However, since 2015-16, the state government has received only a portion of the total funds it had requested from the Centre. The state government had requested Rs 1,545 crore in 2015-16, Rs 1,878 crore in 2016-17, Rs 1,809 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 1,679 crore in 2018-19, a senior official with the Primary Education Department told TNM. But according to data obtained from the Department of Primary Education, the Centre's allocation was less than what was promised — Rs 927 crore in 2015-16, Rs 1,127 crore in 2016-17, Rs 1,085 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 1,007 crore in 2018-19.  “They have barely given us 53% of the funds we requested in the previous academic year. For the current academic year, funds will be allocated only once the finance bill is passed in the Assembly, which has not happened because of the trust vote issue,” a senior official with the Primary Education Department told TNM. The official also said that the problem with school uniforms, shoes and stationery is being faced by all RTE schools in North Karnataka districts. “The funds are being allocated based on the number of students who attend in each school. But it is true that most of the schools deprived of funding are in North Karnataka,” he added. The next hearing is on August 8 and Devappa says he is hoping for a favourable verdict from the court. “Both the Central and State government are blaming each other. In neighbouring villages and entire Hyderabad-Karnataka area, we are facing this problem. I have faith that the court will give my son justice,” Devappa said.   
Body 2: 


from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2MeMiJi
via IFTTT