Rebel MLAs have full protection against disqualification: Mukul Rohatgi

Agencies
July 23, 2019

New Delhi, Jul 23: Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing rebel Karnataka MLAs, on Tuesday said they enjoy protection from the Supreme Court against disqualification and they were free to participate or not in the proceedings in the Assembly during the trust vote.

"15 MLAs who have got protection from the Supreme Court last week. They have protection in as much as they have the option of appearing in the proceedings or not because they have been issued a whip. A whip is the basis of disqualification so that the Supreme Court's order granting them protection is a protection against the whip. The whip's enforcement by disqualification is accordingly also protected," senior Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi told reporters after the court proceedings today.

"I have advised 15 MLAs not to attend the proceedings because they enjoy protection from the Supreme Court," he said.

When asked about Congress petition for disqualifying rebel MLAs, Rohatgi said, "Yes. They were filed on July 10. But the protection was granted by the Supreme Court and it was filed after the court's order. So, they are fully covered by any process of disqualification either based on resignation or not based on resignation or based on the whip for appearing. They are completely protected and are not obliged to appear in these proceedings (in the Assembly)."

The lawyer said that if the floor test, as assured by the Speaker does not happen today, they will seek "operative direction" from the apex court in this regard. 

"If the floor test does not happen today then obviously we shall press for an operative direction from the Supreme Court tomorrow," he said.

The apex court today deferred hearing till Wednesday on a petition moved by two Independent Karnataka MLAs seeking a direction for concluding the floor test in the state Assembly.

The hearing was deferred by the bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi after Karnataka Assembly Speaker told the court that the trust vote is likely to be held today.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Tumkur, Jan 10: A five-year-old boy has been killed by a leopard in Gubi taluk of Tumkuru district in Karnataka.

The local police said today that the incident took place on Thursday evening when the boy was returning home along with his grandmother.

The leopard first attacked a cow and then the boy who was behind it. The feline dragged the body into the forest.

After a search operation by the forest officials, the body was found and handed over to the parents after post-mortem.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 28: Several state Congress leaders, including its President D K Shivakumar, among others, were detained by police as they tried to march towards Raj Bhavan here against the alleged attempts by BJP to topple the party's government in Rajasthan.

Shivakumar, along with Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, state Congress Working President Eshwar Khandre, Salim Ahmed among others were stopped by the police midway as they marched from KPCC office towards Raj Bhavan.

Congress leaders then staged a dharna at the place where they were stopped. Addressing the gathering, Shivakumar accused the BJP of trying to "murder" democracy by destabilizing and removing elected governments.

"We wanted to protest against it and submit a memorandum to the President through the Governor," but the Karnataka government by using police was not letting them proceed towards Raj Bhavan, he said. "Despite our being a peaceful protest, the police stopped us," he said.

Siddaramaiah, echoing similar views, said peaceful protests against injustice was the right of every citizen. Alleging that the BJP was attempting to destabilise and remove the elected government in Rajasthan as it did in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, he said the Governor's office there (Rajasthan) was being 'misused'.

The Governor was working like an agent of the central government, he charged. He said, despite repeated appeals by the Rajasthan cabinet, the Governor there had not convened the assembly session, for the floor test to take place and for Congress to prove its majority. Police subsequently detained Shivakumar and some other Congress leaders and took them to a nearby police station.

They were later released. Meanwhile, as the Congress' protest amid Covid19 pandemic did not follow social distancing norms, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar hit out at that party's leaders. In a tweet Sudhakar said, for Congress leaders getting publicity was more important than social concerns.

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News Network
July 26,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 26: Karnataka government has initiated steps to provide insurance cover for priests and others working in temples coming under the Endowment Department -- a move that will benefit 50,000 people and their families.

Speaking to media here on Saturday evening, Minister for Endowment Kota Srinivas Poojary said there is a need to implement the decision at the earliest to provide relief to the priests and families of employees working in temples.

Department officials have been directed to include employees of state-owned temples under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyothi Bima scheme and also enrol them under State Bank of India’s group personal accident insurance policy at the earliest. The Central insurance scheme will provide Rs 2 lakh cover to family members in case of death due to accidents.

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