Siddaramaiah downplays rift in Congress

DHNS
September 3, 2017

Bengaluru, Sept 3: “Ask Parameshwara (state Congress president) about it.” This is how Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reacted on Saturday on seeking to know the reason for Parameshwara not attending the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers on Friday.

Initially, Siddaramaiah sought to downplay the issue, saying that the KPCC chief could not attend the ceremony as he was away in Delhi. But when media persons pointed out that Parameshwara was very much in Bengaluru on Friday, a visibly upset chief minister asked media persons to pose the question to the state Congress president.

Parameshwara and many senior Congress leaders kept off the ceremony as they were upset with Siddaramaiah for not taking them into confidence while selecting candidates for expanding the council of ministers. Siddaramaiah decided to induct Gundlupet MLA Geetha Mahadeva Prasad, who is the widow of late H S Mahadeva Prasad, instead of Tiptur MLA K Shadakshari. It was done without informing the state Congress president and other senior leaders of the state unit, sources in the state Congress said.

Parameshwara is also upset with Siddaramaiah’s decision to make former union minister C M Ibrahim a MLC in the recently held byelection. The KPCC chief was lobbying to get the seat to his close follower G C Chandrashekar.

Sources said a majority of the leaders who attended Friday’s ceremony were close followers of Siddaramaiah. Many senior party leaders and Cabinet ministers, including Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, kept themselves away from the ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Shivakumar was eyeing at the Home portfolio, but the chief minister chose to give it to Ramalinga Reddy.

Parameshwara was, however, not available for comments. Shivakumar denied that he was upset with the chief minister. “I am not upset with anybody. I am a straight fighter. There is no confusion in the party,” he told reporters.

Comments

Danish
 - 
Sunday, 3 Sep 2017

Silence is better infront of media till election

Suresh
 - 
Sunday, 3 Sep 2017

Good reply from CM. He trying to avoid unwanted issues. Media need to know the reason and they wanted to make that issue bigger. 

Hari
 - 
Sunday, 3 Sep 2017

Rubbish. He is the CM. He is prominent cong lHe should know the reason. He always downplays

Jinu
 - 
Sunday, 3 Sep 2017

If need to know the reason, should ask to parameshwara, not to cm

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News Network
June 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 5: An FIR has been filed against former journalist and human rights activist Aakar Anil Patel in Bengaluru here over his comments on social media under charges pertaining to provocation with intent to cause riots.

The FIR was registered under Section 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public or by more than ten persons), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), and 505-1-B (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the JC Nagar police station.

According to the FIR filed on June 2, Patel had tweeted that protests like the ones in the US over George Floyd's death are needed in India by the marginalised communities.

Patel, former chief of Amnesty International India, had on May 31 posted from his Twitter account, which is not verified.

On May 25, Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following which protests against police brutality and racism erupted in various cities in the United States. The protests were later replaced by incidents of violence across the country.

India also has witnessed several cases of mob lynchings and custodial deaths in recent years. In most cases victims belong to down trodden communities such as Muslims and Dalits.

Responding to the development, Amnesty International India has said that FIR against Patel is another example of how the right to dissent is being "increasingly" criminalised.

"The Bengaluru police must stop abusing its authority and put an end to the intimidation and harassment of Aakar Patel for exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression. People of this country have the right to agree or disagree with those in power, and to express these opinions in peaceful protests - without fear or unlawful interference," Amnesty International India Executive Director Avinash Kumar said.

He said that peacefully protesting against the government is not a crime and added that not agreeing with the policies of those in power does not make you a traitor.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 4: The Karnataka High Court has issued a notice to the state government in connection with the denial of retirement benefits to a retired deputy commissioner of commercial taxes who had fought against the illegal iron ore lobby.

Justice G Narendra also directed the state to respond to the notice before March 9, stating the reasons for withholding the officer’s retirement benefits.

Advocate Ramananda, appearing for the retired officer Josephat Andrews, explained that the single-judge bench also warned the government of stringent action.

Petitioner Josephat Andrews said his retirement benefits amounting to Rs 25.88 lakh were being withheld since 2014.

In 2009, Andrews detected a huge scam involving Vijaya Leasing, a company associated with former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy. Immediately he wrote to his higher officials explaining to them how the department was owed Rs 1,400 crore in taxes by the company. Immediately after that, Andrews was transferred to Bengaluru.

The media exposed the scam in 2012. Thereafter, to harass the officer, Andrews was served notice for allegedly not conducting an inspection of M/s Vijaya Leasing, which was controlled by the family of then tourism minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, on July 11, 2012.  He was discharged by a full departmental enquiry.

The petitioner was issued a second show cause notice on Jan 29, 2014 on the same charges. Before his retirement, he was docked two increments, denied promotional benefits and his pension was reduced without following due process.

He was served yet another notice with charges that he did not inspect goods vehicles, and an order was passed on April 30, 2019 reducing his pension by 5 per cent, an unprecedented punitive action.

This order was quashed by the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), which also ordered payment of retirement benefits to Andrews within five months. However, the benefits were not released to him.  

“Rule 214 of the Karnataka Civil Services Rules (KCSR) make it clear that no enquiry can be held four years after an officer’s retirement.  Belying all statutory rules and precedents of the Supreme Court, Josephat Andrews’ retirement benefits were withheld for five years. Andrews therefore approached the High Court,” advocate Ramananda explained.

Josephat Andrews recalled to Deccan Chronicle that although mining activity was in full swing in 2008, the commercial tax department maintained that it had nothing to do with mining. “I travelled to Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bellary to investigate. I found tax evasion of thousands of crores. When I visited M/s the Vijaya Leasing facility – it was operating from an old oil mill premises–within 20 minutes I got calls from Ali, a person claiming to be the personal assistant of Gali Janardhan Reddy. He told me to get out of the premises as it belonged to his boss. Then calls came from minister Sreeramulu and MLA Nagendra. 

Within minutes 200-300 rowdies gathered around the building and my superior asked me to come back. Instead of filing a police complaint and forming a special team to deal with the situation, the department transferred me to Bengaluru,” he explained.

Talking about the High Court directive, Josephat Andrews said, “I have suffered a lot. Instead of getting a reward for increasing revenues by Rs 2,000 crore, I was punished.”

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coastaldigest.com news network
August 7,2020

Mangaluru, Aug 7: A youth died on the spot in a ghastly road mishap on Netravati Bridge near Thokkottu on the outskirts of the city today evening.

Police sources said that the face of the youth, who was riding a motorbike, has been damaged beyond recognition. He died on the spot. 

More details about the mishap are yet to be known. A case has been registered at Mangaluru Traffic police station.

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