Delhi court sends Disha Ravi to judicial custody for three days

Court

Seeking judicial custody, Delhi police’s counsel told the court that Disha needs to be confronted with the other co-accused in the case.

TNM Staff

A Delhi Court on Friday sent 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi to three days in judicial custody in connection with the ‘toolkit’ case, or the Google document on farmers’ protest that the police are investigating. Disha’s five-day police custody ended on Friday and she was produced before the Patiala House Court at 3 pm on Friday. Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, appearing for Delhi police, told the court that Disha has been evasive for the past five days that she has been in police custody and sought three days of judicial custody. The public prosecutor told the court that Disha has shifted the blame to co-accused Shantanu and Nikita and so she needs to be confronted with them. The Delhi police’s counsel also told the court that the police have sent a notice to Shantanu asking to join the investigation on February 22. Advocate Nikita Jacob and environmental activist Shantanu Muluk, both Maharashtra residents, were also named as accused by the police in the same case. On Thursday, they were given protection from arrest after they moved the Bombay High Court. Appearing for Disha, advocate Siddharth Agarwal sought a legal interview with her and the court has allowed her counsels to meet her in lock-up. Disha was arrested from her home in north Bengaluru by the Delhi police on the afternoon of February 13 and was transported to Delhi by flight. The next day, she was produced before a Delhi Magistrate and was remanded to police custody for five days. Her custody ended on Friday, February 19. The FIR filed in the case does not mention Disha’s name, but mentions a “detailed plan of a large conspiracy to wage an economic, social, cultural, and regional war against India.” It also alluded to two organisations including the “banned terrorist organisation Sikhs for Justice and Poetic Justice Foundation."  The toolkit tweeted by climate activist Greta Thunberg on February 3 had stirred a row, but it is to be noted that toolkit is essentially a Google document used to prepare a social media campaign or to plan protests. It comprises basic information on any issue, tweet suggestions and information on what hashtags to use, whom to tag on social media, etc. These documents are regularly used by various parties to organise social media campaigns and mobilise crowds. The toolkit shared by Greta Thunberg contained an outline of what the farmers’ protests are, hashtags to use, people to tag and handles to follow for news.  On Thursday, Disha moved the Delhi High Court seeking action against three English channels - News 18, India Today and Times Now - so that they do not publish contents or extracts of any alleged private chats, including those over WhatsApp. She stated that reports on TV channels and the media trial against her have “severely aggrieved” her.  The bench led by Justice Pratibha M Singh was hearing the plea on Friday and noted that the media coverage post Disha’s arrest was sensationalised reporting, adding that the right to privacy sovereignty and integrity of the country and freedom of speech need to be balanced, Live Law reported.  Disha’s arrest had sparked massive outrage on social media and protests were held in Bengaluru and Chennai. Historian Ramachandra Guha and Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy were among the protesters at Bengaluru’s Mysore Bank Circle on February 15, demanding Disha’s immediate release.   Also read: Comparing Disha Ravi to Ajmal Kasab is just another day in new India  

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Biden and governors get into an uneasy dance on Covid response

Some governors are increasingly rankled by federal maneuvers like moving vaccine out of their control, creating early friction as Biden wraps up his first month.

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‘Manasa Sarovara’ to ‘Bhinna’: How mental health is stereotyped in Kannada cinema

Opinion

Kannada cinema has produced an array of movies depicting conditions ranging from psychosis to personality disorders, yet the representation has only added to the stigma.

Sanjana Deshpande

Screengrab

Ever since the making of the first Kannada film Sati Sulochana in 1934, Sandalwood has come a long way with recent hits like KGF receiving global recognition. While attempts have been made to explore themes like mental health, the films usually leave the audiences disappointed with their caricature-like portrayal of the same. Even though landmark films have involved psychiatrists in producing and directing the movies, and contributing towards the plot, the films do not bear the desired outcome. Cinema has power over those who consume it and can influence people’s attitudes pertaining to subjects like mental health. Kannada cinema has produced an array of movies depicting conditions ranging from psychosis to personality disorders. Yet, these films have consistently let down the audiences with their often stigmatised and vague description of mental health concerns. Manasa Sarovara, made in 1982, was the first film that brushed upon the theme of mental health in Kannada cinema. The film has a doctor who helps a young woman labelled as “insane” overcome her trauma, and promptly fall for her. He then goes “insane” over the close proximity between his nephew and the young woman.   The film has actor Narayan Swamy, known by his stage name Srinath, essaying the character of the psychiatrist which is very stereotypical in nature. The conventional portrayal of mental health is made worse with Padmavasanthi’s performance of an “insane” woman. After that, films like Sharapanjara, Tarka, Manasaare, Huchcha (Kannada remake of 1999 Tamil film Sethu) and Bhinna have attempted to explore the themes of mental health. Except for Tarka, a parallel film starring Shankar Nag, portrayals of mental illnesses in these films border on either the superstitious treatment or display insensitivity towards the issue. Huchcha, for instance, follows the story of a college rowdy essayed by Sudeep who is admitted in a ‘swamiji ashram’ after he's attacked by goons and suffers a brain injury. Various unscientific treatments are carried out on him and several other patients admitted there. This banal portrayal elucidates how people view mental illness as a religious curse and visit exorcists or other cult leaders, believing they have the cure for their ailing loved one. Like its predecessors, the characterisation of Sachidananda (Sudeep) when he loses his memory is quite unrealistic which takes away the credibility of the film. It further creates a false narrative in the minds of people, stigmatising those facing mental health issues. Manasaare by Yograj Bhat makes an attempt to highlight society’s hypocrisy towards the classification of behaviours, and, by extension, categorising it into 'normal' and 'abnormal'; but the film was not successful in creating the desired impact and is solely remembered as a family entertainer. The industry has creators like Rakshit Shetty, Adarsh E Eshwarappa (director of Bhinna) who are daring to push their limits, but how successful have they been in their venture? The element of mental health in Bhinna eventually went down the same rabbit hole of stereotypical portrayal and insensitivity. The female protagonist Kaveri, an aspiring actor, gets so immersed in the plot of the film she is offered that the lines between reality and fiction get blurred for her, prompting hallucinations. She is often referred to as a ‘mentally unstable’ woman by her husband in the film and is ridiculed. Even when she lands up in a psychiatric facility, she is met with a doctor who lacks empathy and is seen forcing her to speak involuntarily or face dire consequences. While Hollywood has managed to produce films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that come close to exploring the intricacy of how major events in life affect a person's psychological health, Hindi films like Kaasav, Dear Zindagi, Karthik Calling Karthik among others have sensitively explored depression, schizophrenia, suicide, loneliness, care and treatment. The films do not have a banal portrayal of how a person is 'abnormal' or 'normal'; nor do they have a stereotypical portrayal of treatment, therapy and mental health professionals. At a time when other film industries are trying to create more socially responsible films that explore themes of mental health with a dash of commercial no-brainers, Sandalwood is still pushing tasteless family dramas replete with unnecessary punchlines, stereotypes and unrealistic action scenes. The creators, actors and those making films have been clinging on to the same formula for decades now. It’s about time they shed their inhibitions to explore themes like mental health with sensitivity, and this will also contribute towards creating awareness among the audiences. 

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‘Media cannot sensationalise’: Delhi HC on news reports on Disha Ravi

Disha Ravi arrest

The High Court has directed the media to ensure that only verified content is broadcast and it does not hamper the probe in FIR against Disha.

TNM Staff

The Delhi High Court has issued notices to three television news channels —  News 18, India Today and Times Now — over their coverage of the arrest of Disha Ravi in connection with the ‘toolkit’ case and has asked the channels to abide by the programme code and not sensationalise the news. The court was hearing 22-year-old Disha Ravi’s plea seeking action against TV channels like News 18, India Today and Times Now so that they do not publish contents or extracts of any alleged private chats, including those over WhatsApp. Many news channels had aired conversations purportedly between Disha and Greta Thunberg. The High Court directed the media to ensure that only verified content is publicised and it does not hamper the probe in FIR against Disha. “Media shall ensure that telecasts are from verified and authentic sources. Editorial teams to ensure that such broadcasts have verified content. Channel editors to ensure proper editorial control so that investigation is not hampered,” the Delhi High Court ordered, as per Bar and Bench.  Court: 2. Media shall ensure that telecasts are from verified and authectic sources. Editorial teams to ensure that such broadcast has verified content. Channel editors to ensure proper editorial control so that investigation is not hampered (2/n)#DishaRavi #ToolkitCase — Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 19, 2021 “Various judgements have laid down that there is a balance between the right to privacy, free speech and the right of the public to information,” the court said, adding, “the right to privacy, the sovereignty and integrity of the country and the freedom of speech need to be balanced.” In her plea, Disha had also asked for directions from the High Court that no investigation material related to the FIR against her is leaked by the police or the state government. The court took on record Delhi police’s submission that there have not been any leaks from the police’s side and directed the police to strictly abide by its stand that it has not leaked nor intends to leak probe details. The court also asked the petitioner to ensure that no tweets or statements are made that malign Delhi police. “Petitioner to ensure people connected to petitioners do not indulge in unnecessary or scandalising messages. This would ensure that the parties do not go on a maligning course during the investigation,” the court said. Also read: ‘No leakage from our side’: Delhi police on Disha Ravi’s chats reported in media The Delhi High Court noted that some sections of their coverage has been very sensational but declined to pass any interim order directing the removal of any news content or any tweets by the police. Appearing for Disha, advocate Akhil Sibal submitted to the court that though the FIR filed in connection with the protest document does not mention any name, she was arrested from Bengaluru and brought to Delhi. “I deposed before the magistrate, no information was given to my lawyer about when I would be produced but the media was there in large numbers,” Disha’s lawyer submitted to the court. Disha had said in her plea that reports on television channels have “severely aggrieved her” and that the same amounts to a media trial. Also read: 'Aggrieved by media trial': Disha Ravi seeks action against 3 English channels Disha was booked for sedition, conspiracy and two other charges by the Delhi police for editing a “toolkit” or a Google document which had information about the farmers’ protests. The document came under the scanner after a dated version of it was tweeted by international climate activist Greta Thunberg — the document was taken down shortly after since older dates were mentioned, and a new document with updated dates was shared by Greta. It is important to note that toolkits are documents that contain basic information on campaigns including tweet suggestions, hashtags, whom to tag on social media, etc. They are routinely used in social media campaigns by various organisations, including political parties.  In connection with the same case, the Delhi police issued non-bailable warrants against Mumbai-based advocate Nikita Jacob and activist Shantanu Muluk, following which both have been given protection from arrest after they filed pleas in the Bombay High Court.

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Bengaluru's Byappanahalli railway terminal likely to open on March 15

Transport

Built at a cost of over Rs 300 crore, the terminal aims to help decongest KSR Bengaluru and Yeshwantpur stations.

TNM Staff

After a long delay, the Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal at Byappanahalli in Bengaluru is likely to be inaugurated on March 15. This is a modern coaching terminal equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. The terminal, which is designed like that of the Bengaluru airport, will have a waiting hall, a VIP lounge with a digital real-time passenger information system and a lavish food court. It will also have its own water recycling plant with a capacity of 4 lakh-litres. Touted to be the first centralised AC railway terminal in the country, which has the capacity of operating 50 trains per day, the terminal also has a well-built foot over bridge along with two subways on each side, connecting all the seven platforms, a press release stated. Apart from this, escalators and lifts connecting all platforms are also included to facilitate passenger movement. The press release added that the station building covers an area of 4200 sq metres to cater for a daily footfall of 50,000. The terminal has seven platforms apart from eight stabling lines and three pit lines. Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal on Thursday took to Twitter and shared some of the pictures of the upcoming terminal.  Have a glimpse of the upcoming Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru, Karnataka, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. View on Koo: https://t.co/NrovriSqi0 pic.twitter.com/pRwu2zG38O — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 18, 2021 The press release also said, “164 pairs of express trains and 109 pairs of passenger trains are plying from two stations in Bengaluru city, namely the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway station in Majestic and Yeshwantpur railway station. There has been a consistent demand from the people to introduce more number of express trains connecting Bengaluru.” To meet the demand, the new coaching terminal was planned at Byappanahalli, which is located in the heart of the city. The terminal was sanctioned in 2015-16. Once this terminal is operational, more trains from Bengaluru to other major cities like Mumbai and Chennai can be operated. In addition to that, more trains connecting Bengaluru to all the other districts of Karnataka can also be run. This coaching terminal will help to decongest KSR Bengaluru and Yeshwantpur stations. The butterfly-shaped terminal, built at a cost of around Rs 314 crore, is aimed at being a transportation hub on the eastern end of the city. 

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I-T raids on K'taka medical colleges find crores of capitation fees, assets in Ghana

IT Raids

The IT department conducted search and seizure operations on 9 trusts running big medical colleges.

TNM Staff

Image for representation only

The Income Tax department ran a major search and seizure operation on Wednesday, in a suspected case of tax evasion by big private medical colleges in Karnataka. Around 200 IT officials searched 9 major trusts registered in Bengaluru and Mangaluru, which run educational institutions including big medical colleges. According to the IT department, searches took place at 56 different locations in Karnataka and Kerala. In Bengaluru, the search and seizure operation was conducted at BGS hospital, Saptagiri hospital and Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.  During the search, the IT sleuths collected evidence which suggest that these colleges have received Rs 402. 78 crore as illegal capitation fees done by manipulating the online admission process. This amount has not been disclosed to the Income Tax department, a press note adds. Searches were also done at residential premises of the trustees which led to the seizure of Rs 15.09 crore cash, 81 kilos of gold jewellery valued at Rs 30 crore, 50 carat diamonds and 40 kg of silver articles. The source of this remains unexplained. Further, officials have also found evidence of undisclosed foreign assets of Rs 2.39 crore in Ghana, Africa, along with huge investments in 35 luxury cars in benami names. Further, there is evidence which prima facie suggests that the cash money accepted by manipulating the online admission process in these colleges has been diverted for non-charitable purposes by the Trustees which is clearly in violation of Sec 12AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Apart from this, evidence has been found regarding a large number of investments made in immovable properties with huge cash components attracting provisions of section 69 of the Income-tax Act, 1961. One of the colleges has diversified into the business of timber/plywood industries where evidence regarding under invoicing has also been found. Evidence of malpractice The search operation has resulted in detecting  evidence on cash-for-seat malpractices for students to get admission to MBBS, BDS and Post Graduate seats in the form of notebooks, handwritten diaries, excel sheets containing the details of cash received from students/brokers for admission in these colleges for various years. It was also observed that the management, faculty, staff, meritorious students and brokers are working in close nexus to manipulate the online admission process. There was also evidence indicating that one of the medical colleges has a sort of “package  arrangement” for passing management quota students in written examination and viva voce for fixed sums ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh. Cash for seat malpractices There is also evidence to suggest that the transparent selection process to medical colleges through National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has been subverted by trustees and senior persons running these medical colleges by colluding with agents and brokers and some students who got high ranks in NEET. The first stage of malpractice is that some students who got high ranks in NEET examination take admission to MBBS courses through state counselling, but who mostly have no intention of joining these colleges as they have already secured admissions or are likely to get admission elsewhere. These students block seats in the medical stream in a Medical college during the Karnataka Examinations Authority KEA counselling process, in connivance with agents/middle men/converters (who probe services of converting the regular seats to management seats). Subsequently these students withdraw from the admission process and thereby make these vacant seats available for the college management. The college management can then fill these seats up through the Stray Vacancies around (seats remaining vacant or unfilled in  a college after mop-up round). In this round the seats are filled by the college management by admitting candidates who do not have the merit, after collecting huge sums as capitation fee/donations in cash. This is illegal under the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Capitation Fee) Act, 1984. The capitation fee or donations are collected through a network of brokers/ agents employed by the key persons or trustees of these medical colleges.

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Bengaluru police to resume drunk driving checks in city

Drunk driving

The move comes after the reopening of bars, theatres, restaurants, and malls in the city.

TNM Staff

Image for representation: Picxy.com/abhishekchinnappa

After a gap of nearly a year, the Bengaluru Traffic Police has decided to restart special drunk driving checks across the city after taking cognisance of increased instances of fatal accidents, where motorists were later found to be driving in an inebriated state. BR Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said that it was necessary they start the drive. “The drunk drive checks were stopped last March owing to the enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines while keeping in mind the safety of the traffic personnel. However, with the increase in accidents and drunken driving cases, the decision of resuming the drives with a set of safety guidelines was taken,” the Joint Commissioner (Traffic) told The Hindu. The move comes after the reopening of bars, theatres, restaurants, and malls in the city. The officials are confident that the safety protocols and guidelines devised will assist in mitigating the risk of COVID-19. The police personnel involved in the drives have to mandatorily wear masks, gloves and face shields, apart from sanitising their hands after every check. The breath analyser, the guideline says, should be sanitised and only one instrument should be used for one motorist. The guidelines also state that the traffic police must sanitise their hands in front of motorists before they conduct the breathalyser test, to ease their fears. Traffic police had suspended the use of breath analysers, a device used to ascertain alcohol content in person, fearing transmission of coronavirus during the checks. Despite the easing of the lockdown, the procedure hadn’t resumed owing to health protocols. The permissible limit of Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. The Additional Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) had recently issued a circular, directing the police to step up enforcement and minimise fatal road accidents. He had also given targets to the police, warning that disciplinary action will be taken if the enforcements are not strictly implemented. He had also asked personnel to crack down on negligent and rash drivers. Moreover, he directed them to book cases against the parents of minor motorists who were caught.

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