Legal literacy chariot launched in Mangalore

Bengaluru, Mar 18: BJP MLC Lahar Singh Siroya on Wednesday wrote a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, urging him to allow half-an-hour daily discussion in the State Assembly and Council to take stock and review preparation of the government to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"Since the entire world including India is facing an emergency-like situation, it is appropriate for lawmakers to discuss the matter in the legislature. I would like to request you to allow the matter to be discussed every day in the upper house," said Siroya in his letter to the Chief Minister.

He said discussion and suggestions on the issue can help the government to improve the surveillance activities.

He said members of the Assembly can bring realistic information from their districts and present the same before the House.

Stressing that Bengaluru is a global hub of software and electronic industries, Siroya said: "We need to step up surveillance on the improvement of the international community. So, we have to discuss in detail and devise a robust strategy to contain the spread of the disease."

He asserted there is a possibility of people using social media to mislead public.

"lf the government discusses and debates the issue besides making announcements if any, there will be no scope for social media to mislead the public. Media is doing a good job in educating people. So, I would like to request you to involve the media and select NGOs to sensitise people and bring in the preventive mechanism of self-quarantine more effectively," he said.

Two more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Karnataka on Wednesday, taking the tally of infected persons in the state to 13, Health Minister B Sriramulu said.

A total of 147 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The deadly virus has claimed three lives in the country, the first one was reported from Karnataka.

Bengaluru, June 5: Under the leadership of trouble-shooter D K Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress is planning a political ‘ghar wapsi’ to bring back leaders who quit the party and also rope in those from other parties.

Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, has constituted a 12-member committee headed by former minister Allum Veerabhadrappa to liaise to anchor this effort to bring back people into the party fold. 

The committee comprises of former legislators B A Hasanabba, Ajaykumar Sarnaik, Abhaychandra Jain, Satish Sail, Prafulla Madhukar, former MPs R Dhruvanarayan and BN Chandrappa, MLA V Muniyappa, former mayor Sampath Raj, Mahila Congress leader Kripa Alva and former KPCC general secretary V Y Ghorpade. 

This move comes more than a year after over a dozen Congress MLAs defected and joined the BJP, leading to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Also, several influential leaders quit the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year.

The constitution of this committee also coincides with disgruntlement brewing within the ruling BJP. 

“Many people who left the party and others have applied (to join Congress). Many have met me also. I felt it wouldn't be right for me to make a decision. So, this committee has been constituted,” Shivakumar said. “They will process all applications and send it to the KPCC.” 

According to Shivakumar, any person wanting to join the Congress should accept the party’s leadership and its ideology. “Importantly, they should be first accepted by the cadre. If there's no acceptance from the cadre, then what's the point?” he said.

Bengaluru, Jan 11: The Chief Justice of India Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde on Saturday inaugurated the phase-1 of the new building of the Karnataka Judicial Academy on Crescent Road in Bengaluru.

The new building has three floors, besides, the ground floor and two basement floors.

While Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa inaugurated the 319-seater multi-purpose auditorium, at which Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka felicitated Justice Bobde.

Justice Ravi Malimath, President of the Karnataka Judicial Academy and Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, in his welcome address said that the academy has so far trained as many as 4000 judicial officers and striving for excellence in the field of judiciary.

The building, built in the first phase, has parking in the lower and the upper basement, which can accommodate 44 cars and 124 two-wheelers, the ground floor consists of a 319-seater multi-purpose air-conditioned auditorium, a lecture hall with 84 seats, two lecture halls with 40 seats each and a VIP lounge. The First Floor has a lecture hall with 84 seats, two lecture halls with 40 seats each, a VIP lounge, two discussion rooms and an administrative office for the staff of the academy.

The second phase, to be built has a parking facility for 36 four-wheelers and 22 two-wheelers in the lower basement and 32 four-wheelers and 30 two-wheelers in the upper basement.

The total cost of the project, including Phase-1 and Phase-2, to be executed by the Public Works Department in the sprawling 2.2 acres plot of the Karnataka Judicial Academy is around Rs 96.02 Crore.