Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

He has requested all those who have come in contact with him to take the necessary precautions.

PTI

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan on Saturday said he has tested positive for COVID-19. "In anticipation of the upcoming Assembly sessions, I underwent a #COVID19 test on Saturday and my results have returned positive. I am asymptomatic and will be under home isolation," Narayan tweeted. He has requested all those who have come in contact with him to take the necessary precautions. In the wake of the pandemic, Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has made it mandatory for all those attending it to undergo RT-PCR test for COVID-19 infection, 72 hours prior to the start of the monsoon session from September 21. Ashwath Narayan is the latest in the list of Ministers in Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's cabinet who have tested positive for coronavirus. Earlier this week, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K Gopalaiah had tested positive for COVID. Prior to that, Yediyurappa and his Ministers including B Sriramulu, C T Ravi, B C Patil, Anand Singh, Byrathi Basavaraj, Prabhu Chavan, A Shivaram Hebbar, K S Eshwarappa and Shashikala Jolle had tested positive and have now recovered.

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Summoned over links to accused Vaibhav Jain: Actor Aryyan Santosh on drug probe

Crime

The actor appeared at the CCB office on Saturday morning, allegedly for having ties with another accused.

TNM Staff

Aspiring Sandalwood actor Aryyan Santosh and TV anchor Akul Balaji appeared before the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for questioning in connection with the ongoing drug case. CCB sources said that persons with links to the arrested accused are being summoned for questioning. "We can call people for questioning either to rule them out as suspects or not. We will be issuing notices to many more people in the future," a senior official with the CCB said.  Aryyan Santosh, who owns Jade Villa near Devanahalli, employed Vaibhav Jain, an accused in the case, to manage his properties. Speaking to the media outside the CCB office, Aryyan said, "A few years ago, when I was moving from the outskirts of Bengaluru to the city, I came into contact with Vaibhav Jain, a gold merchant. He had a small shop in the city. I rented out Jade villa through Airbnb and Vaibhav Jain was managing these properties. I had one rule that people should come in by 9 pm and not more than 10 people could be accommodated in the villa. I believe that the CCB has called me to ask about my connection to Vaibhav Jain." The actor further stated that he had a falling out with Vaibhav thrice in the past couple of years, after which he had allegedly asked the latter to stop managing his property. "When I found that he was not adhering to the rules I had set, I fought with him thrice over several issues. Most importantly because I found out that he had invited over 20 people once. I am here to cooperate with the probe," he added.  Vaibhav Jain was arrested by the CCB earlier this month. The sleuths claim that he managed various farmhouses and is believed to be an associate of another accused, Aditya Alva, brother-in-law of actor Vivek Oberoi. Vaibhav was allegedly procuring drugs and distributing it to the private parties.  CCB sources said that the investigators are looking at various farmhouses rented by the accused, where parties were allegedly organised. "Like in Aditya Alva's case, parties were held at his resort or farmhouse. We have a list of places where these parties took place. We are questioning everyone to find out whether they were complicit or not," the CCB source said.  Meanwhile, the Central Crime Branch in Mangaluru took ABCD actor and dancer Kishore Aman Shetty in for questioning on Saturday. Sources claim that he was allegedly supplying drugs to celebrities in the coastal regions and also in Mumbai.  The CCB has arrested actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani in connection with the case. Party planner Viren Khanna was arrested on September 4 and is in police custody. According to sources, the actors allegedly procured drugs and shared them at the parties. Viren Khanna has also been accused of procuring drugs from Senegalese national Loum Pepper Simon, another arrested accused.    

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Karnataka cabinet expansion: BSY wants leaders who defected to get ministerial berths

Politics

Yediyurappa has proposed inducting five new ministers to the cabinet.

TNM Staff

The BJP in Karnataka is looking to expand the state cabinet ahead of the Assembly’s monsoon session, slated to begin on September 21. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, in his two-day visit to New Delhi, met Prime Minister Modi and several union ministers to discuss this issue among others related to developmental works. Sources close to Yediyurappa say that he has proposed inducting five new ministers to the cabinet. Currently, there are six vacancies.  According to sources, Members of Legislative Council MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar alias Pendulum Shankar, are very likely to be inducted into the cabinet. Yediyurappa has also requested the high command that Hukkeri legislator Umesh Katti's name be approved, as he had promised the MLA a ministerial berth in 2019.   Yediyurappa is believed to have told the party high command that he has to keep up his promises to the leaders, who had helped bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019. However, the high command is reluctant to offer AH Vishwanath a ministerial berth. Vishwanath defected from Congress to JD(S) in 2017 and subsequently to the BJP in 2019. He lost the Hunsur bye-elections and was not offered an MLC ticket this year. However, Yediyurappa had intervened and ensured that he was made an MLC, sources said.  BJP insiders said that Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali is also an aspirant for the ministerial position, but is unlikely to get the spot as he was mired in a controversy earlier in 2019. MLA Limbavali approached the High Court, which issued a gag order on the media from covering the controversy. "Bijapur MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal is also an aspirant. There is MLA Renukacharya. Besides, MLC CP Yogeeshwar is also an aspirant. There is Vedavyas Kamath and Bharath Shetty from the coastal region," the source said.  However, party sources said that the aspirants, who cannot be accommodated, would be given the option of chairing state-run boards or corporations. 

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Karnataka schools to reopen on September 21, but no regular classes

Education

The minister said that students in high school can go to school to get their doubts cleared but no regular classes will be held.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Karnataka minister for Primary and Secondary Education Suresh Kumar on Friday said that schools and pre-university colleges in Karnataka will open from September 21 but will not resume regular classes. The minister said that students in higher classes could go to school to clear the doubts related to their studies. He said the government was awaiting the Centre's approval for resuming regular classes. "From September 21, teachers of Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12, will be present in the school to clear the doubts of the students related to their studies. It will not be like regular classes," Suresh Kumar said. The minister spoke to the media while he was in Mysuru along with the District In-Charge Minister ST Somashekar to inaugurate the Mysuru Central Library. "Under any circumstances, regular classes will not start. We are waiting for the green signal from the Centre to resume regular classes," he added. However, Suresh Kumar said that students can go to school only with parental consent.  Suresh Kumar said that parents had voiced concerns over reopening schools while students were eager to return to regular classes. “It is understandable that parents are concerned about their children. They say that online classes are comfortable. Students, however, seem to be eager to return to school. We have to consider all aspects here before reopening. We are thinking about making it mandatory to obtain consent letters from parents once schools reopen after Centre’s guidelines are issued,” he added. Speaking about the challenges before the department this year, Kumar said every year 10 lakh students used to enroll by June, which did not happen this year. Hence, a target has been fixed to complete the enrolment procedure by September end. The minister said the government has passed an order that the private educational institutions can collect fees for one term. He also said that this order was passed as many parents are unable to pay the entire year’s fees in one go. He further stated that the schools cannot hike fees for the 2020-21 academic year. The admission process for students between classes 1 and 12 must be completed before September 30, he said.  Action will be taken by the officials concerned if complaints come against institutions for violating the norms. (With inputs from PTI)  

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ED attaches Rs 45 cr assets of co-op bank in Karnataka in money laundering case

Crime

The ED attached properties after a PMLA case was registered against Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd and their associates.

PTI

Representation photo

Assets worth more than Rs 45 crore have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in connection with a cooperative bank fraud in Karnataka, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Friday. The central probe agency said it issued a provisional order for attachment, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), of movable assets to the tune of Rs 7.16 crore in the form of bank balances and fixed deposits belonging to the president, ex-vice president, ex-CEO and present CEO of Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha and Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd and their associates. Also attached are 29 immovable properties worth Rs 38.16 crore in the form of agricultural land, residential apartments and houses held in the name of K Ramakrishna, late T S Sathyanarayana, late M V Maiya, Santosh Kumar A and various other employees of Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha and Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd, all residents of Bangalore and other places in the state. The total value of the attached assets is Rs 45.32 crore, it said. K Ramakrishna and late T S Sathyanarayana were president and vice president respectively of both Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha and Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd. Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd was established by K Ramakrishna in 2015 to avoid paying Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) which co-operative banks are required to pay under the Income Tax Act, the ED said in a statement. "Between 2016-2019, crores of rupees was transferred from the society (Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-operative Ltd) to the bank. President and M V Maiya were responsible for transferring of the amounts from the said society to the NPA accounts of the bank to reduce the NPA parameter," it said. The ED filed a PMLA case on the basis of an FIR registered by Bengaluru police in February this year. The police FIR was filed under various sections of the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPID) Act of 2004 against late V Maiya and others for embezzlement of more than Rs 1,500 crore collected from a large number of depositors, mostly senior citizens, through fixed deposits by promising them high rate of interest ranging from 12-16 per cent every year. "The accused persons withdrew money from the bank by creating fictitious loan accounts and did not repay the money and cheated public at large. The proceeds of crime were found to be laundered in the name of many bank employees also. The president and his family members are absconding and ex-CEO of the bank has committed suicide," the probe agency said. Investigation found that K Ramakrishna along with his wife and son, who is one of the Directors of Mukhyaprana Agro Farming and Research Info Pvt Ltd "layered the proceeds of crime" in the name of the company and also in the name of Sri Guru Sarvabhouma Credit Co-Operative Ltd by diverting funds from Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha. "The former CEO, late Maiya had also purchased immovable properties in his name by diverting funds from the bank and society. Employees of the bank and society were also involved in diverting funds by creating fictitious loan accounts and purchased properties in their name and in the name of their associates," the ED claimed.

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Sandalwood drug case: CCB summons TV anchor, actor and former MLA's son for questioning

Crime

Kannada TV anchor Akul Balaji, actor Aryann Santosh and son of former Congress MLA RV Devaraj and former Sudhama Nagar corporator RV Yuvaraj have been summoned for questioning.

IANS

Representation photo

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru has summoned Kannada TV anchor Akul Balaji, actor Aryann Santosh and son of former Congress MLA RV Devaraj and former Sudhama Nagar corporator RV Yuvaraj for questioning on Saturday. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said in a statement that it was felt necessary for the CCB to question Akul Balaji, Aryann Santhosh Kumar and R. V. Yuvaraj. "In the Cotton pet case we have gathered certain information and it was felt necessary to inquire about them. Therefore, we have issued notices to them to appear before the CCB tomorrow at 10 a.m.," the statement read. Akul Balaji is a well known TV anchor and Aryann Santhosh is an upcoming actor. The development comes after popular Kannada actor couple Diganth and Aindrita Ray were summoned just two days ago by the CCB police who are probing the case. A photo of Aryann Santosh with actress Sanjjanna Galrani, who is in judicial custody in a drugs case, had gone viral on social media. Reacting to the summons before the media, Aryann and Akul confirmed that they have received notices and they would cooperate with the CCB. However, expressing surprise, Yuvaraj said that he was unaware how his name had cropped up in this case. "I do not know anyone of the accused arrested so far," he said. Meanwhile, the CCB is also keeping a strict vigil on the ADJs, pub and resort owners and managers of the resorts and pubs where high-end parties are said to take place. "Just a couple of months before this (Sandalwood) case came into the limelight, the CCB had busted a drug case allegedly involving DJs and their associates. Since then, we have been tracking a couple of suspected people. We will start calling such people for questioning in future if their links with this case are established," a senior police officer told IANS. According to the CCB, cases have been registered against 15 people so far in this connection and nine people have been arrested including Kannada film actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani. Both Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani are in judicial custody in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.

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KSRTC to resume bus operations to Maharashtra from September 22

Bus

The official statement says that services will be operated from Bengaluru, Davangere, Mangaluru and other parts of the state depending upon the demand.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/ PTI

The Karnataka State Road Transportation Corporation (KSRTC) on Friday announced that transportation services to Maharashtra will resume from September 22 as a part of restarting inter-state services. According to the official statement, “As lockdown has been relaxed, KSRTC will restart operations to Maharashtra State from 22-09-2020.” Services will be operated from Bengaluru, Davangere, Mangaluru and other parts of Karnataka depending on the passenger density. All passengers will have to wear masks and can book tickets online or through advance reservation counters.  The KSRTC had earlier announced that it will restart operations to Goa from September 7 after the lockdown relaxation. Services with Andhra Pradesh have also resumed. The state had earlier stopped inter-state services due to the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19. Special services to Kerala from Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kodagu and Sulia were open during Onam, from August 25 to September 6.  Before the pandemic, Karnataka had 2,500 buses plying to neighbouring states every day.  In August, State Transport Minister Laxman Savadi had said that, “From our end, we are all set to restart bus operations to these states Telangana, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We are also ready to restart services to Puducherry, but not Maharashtra.” He had also said that the state government had already written to its counterparts in the other states and was awaiting their permission to resume services.  As a part of Unlock 3.0, the Karnataka government had lifted all restrictions put in place for inter-state travellers as precautions against COVID-19. The state government had also done away with mandatory registering on the Seva Sindhu app, mandatory quarantine for 14 days for those travelling from other states, compulsory health check-ups at state borders, bus and railway stations, or airports upon arrival.  However, the state has asked people to monitor their health for 14 days from the date of their arrival for any symptoms of COVID-19 like fever, cough, cold, throat pain, difficulty in breathing, etc. If there are any symptoms, they have been asked to seek medical consultation without fail or call the Apthamitra helpline (14410).

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