MF Saldanha wants Lokayukta from outside state

[email protected] (STANLY PINTO , Times of Inida )
November 15, 2011

saldanha

Mangalore, November 15: Retired Justice Michael F Saldanha, chairman, Transparency International India, Karnataka Chapter has suggested that a Lokayukta from outside the state would serve the institution better as "this may make it more difficult for local factors to be pressed into service."

In a letter written to the to the state governor H R Bhardwaj on Saturday, Saldanha recalled that when he was Union law minister, the Government of India and the Supreme Court took a decision on having an outsider as the Chief Justice of each high court.

"Though controversial at that time, the decision has worked very well and at this point of time, it would probably be a salutary principle for the State to have an outsider in this post," he observed.

Appreciating Governor's stand on the issue, Saldanha pointed out that efforts are (being) made to choose candidates on the basis of caste and community or to ensure that a pliable person will occupy that office in the confidence that they can be manipulated.

Admitting that there is tremendous local pressure of all sorts and only a very strong human being can function despite this, he pointed out at Justice Venkatachala and Justice Santosh Hegde for their outstanding courage and integrity in the face of almost insurmountable odds.

Regarding transfer of Additional DGP Jeevan Kumar V Gaonkar, Saldanha noted that he has been there for a very short time (60 days) and there is a total bar to touching him when he is incharge of sensitive investigations.

He said media has pointed out the replacements are Yeddyurappa Loyalists and there is no doubt that this is a direct step through the medium of the State Government to sabotage the present and future prosecutions. "If the action is malafide, motivated and illegal, you as the highest authority of the government will be fully justified in ordering the state government to restore the status-quo ante," he added.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
June 7,2020

The Himachal Pradesh police have confirmed the arrested a man for injuring a pregnant cow by feeding her wheat flour ball laced with firecrackers. 

The cow’s jaw was blown off-- reprising the tragic story of a pregnant elephant that lost its life after eating a pineapple stuffed with a firecracker in Kerala.

While the incident took place on May 26 in Jhandutta area of Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district, it came to light only on Saturday, May 6, when the cow’s owner, Gurdayal Singh, uploaded a video of the injured animal on social media.

In the video, Gurdiyal Singh describes how the cow’s mouth had been injured after one Nandlal fed her explosives.

He confirmed that Nandlal works as a mechanic in Singh’s neighbourhood. Singh said that Nandlal has no remorse for his action. Nandlal has said that he is not scared of the repercussions and that he will continue to do whatever he deems fit. “Even the village sarpanch cannot harm me”, challenged Nandlal when confronted by Singh. 

The cow has given birth to a healthy calf since but Singh said the animal is still not able to eat because of an injured jaw and is being administered Glucose.

The video went viral with people demanding strict action against the person who fed firecrackers to the animal.

The practice of studding dough balls with firecrackers isn’t uncommon in Himachal, and farmers resort to this to keep wild animals, especially boards, off their fields. In the Kerala incident too, the explosive-filled-fruit was meant for wild boars. In many parts of the country, including Himachal, the method is also used to hunt for bush meat -- an illegal practice.

Bilaspur superintendent of oolice (SP) Devakar Sharma confirmed the incident and said the cow was fed a highly explosive firecracker popularly called “aalu bomb”. 

Aalu is Hindi for potato. He said a case under Section 286 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been registered and the role of the neighbours named by Singh is being investigated.

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Colleen Rock
 - 
Tuesday, 9 Jun 2020

Someone needs to educate these disgusting Indian pigs. Religious? After what they do to women and animals? They are less than animals. A disgrace to their God and the human race. Sadly, officials are corrupt and those that aren't are powerless.

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News Network
July 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 29: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Tuesday criticised BJP-led Karnataka government for limiting or omitting various topics including chapters on 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

Speaking to media here at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office, Shivakumar said Congress will not allow BJP government in Karnataka to "divert history".

"Tipu Sultan does not belong to one caste or a class. He is part of the history of this country. BJP government has removed chapters related to him for its political advantage. It is their decision whether they celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanti or not, but he is part of our history. 

The President of this country Ramnath Kovind came to the Vidhan Sabha and praised Tipu's patriotism during a joint session," Shivakumar said.

"The BJP government has come to power today. Our history should not change. We will not let these people to covert or dilute history. This is the stand of the Congress party. Our experts will study the pros and cons of this decision," he added.

Shivakumar further said many countries around the world have praised the Constitution, Indian history and expressed their willingness to "adapt it".

"But the BJP is trying to curtail this. We need to educate our children. Our team will also study this and we will not let this happen," he said.
The Karnataka government, in a bid to reduce the syllabus for state board schools by 30 per cent, has limited or omitted various topics including chapters on Mysuru rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan from the class 7 social science textbook.

The reduction in syllabus comes as schools are closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state, and classes have been moved online.
The Department of Public Instruction of the Karnataka government also limited or removed various other topics from the syllabus of class 6 to 10 as they were repeated or can be alternatively taught.

Earlier, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had revised the syllabus for the classes IX to XII for the academic session 2020-21 in a "one-time measure" owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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News Network
May 12,2020

Bengaluru, May 12: In a scathing attack on the ruling BJP in Karnataka and warning the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa government against any move to amend the Labour laws and APMC through an ordinance, former chief minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday asked Mr Yediyurappa to work in the interest of the people and not to budge under any pressure from the Centre or to please party bosses.

Speaking to media here on Tuesday he questioned the urgency to bring forward such ordinances on important subjects and asked the government to have a public debate on it and also discuss it in the assembly.

“I'm warning the government… I have been watching everything silently till now, I have not caused any embarrassment to the government. I want to tell the government, don’t push us to do it,” Kumaraswamy said

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