FIR against Ashok Kheny for abusing TV journalist

June 9, 2016

Mumbai, Jun 9: Independent MLA Ashok Kheny, accused of being part in the recent horse-trading scandal, has now landed into yet another controversy. Kheny was caught on the camera abusing a reporter of television news channel Times Now. The video has been released by the channel and is rapidly turning viral on social media.

ASHOKAn FIR was filed by the Mumbai police against Karnataka MLA Ashok Kheny based on a complaint lodged by Times Now Mumbai bureau chief Megha Prasad. Megha approached the police after the MLA and businessman refused to produce a written apology for abusing her while she was trying to interview him on allegations of horse-trading for elections to the Rajya Sabha.

The case against the MLA under IPC section 509 (using word intended to insult the modesty of a woman) has been registered at the Santa Cruz police station.

"I was just doing my job by quesitoning him. His reaction is just not acceptable. He had no business treating a journalist, who is doing her job, like that. Yesterday when I went to the police station, I just lodged a simple complaint against Kheny. But about 10 minutes later they said they want to register an FIR. I went back and filed a detailed complaint,"said Megha.

The journalist approached him at J.W. Marriot hotel in Juhu area, where few independent MLAs from Karnataka had been brought together by the Congress party.

In her complaint she said "I was following a story about the alleged horse-trading indulged into by a few MLAs from Karnataka, in connection with the Rajya Sabha elections. I spotted MLA Ashok Kheny in the hotel lobby. I first introduced myself and asked for two minutes of his time. He kept walking away from me and called the hotel staff, and in an absolutely unacceptable manner used abusing language for me saying "arrest karo iss saali ko". Such language cannot be tolerated at all."

The channel's editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami called Kheny on Tuesday and asked him for a written apology for using "disgraceful" language against his colleague, who was only doing her job.

In a sting operation conducted by Times Now and India Today last week, it was found that Congress leadership offered lucrative amount of kickbacks to the independent MLAs, in order to win their support for the Rajya Sabha elections. Although, the MLAs were not offered direct cash, a tacit deal was made assuring them that they would be allotted huge sums of amount for development of their respective constituencies.

Comments

M R GOWDA
 - 
Friday, 10 Jun 2016

The allegation of 'bias' towards BJP is baseless. I have been watching \Times Now' since its inception. AG has never spared BJP reps on show whenever they are at fault. Most of the comments seem to be of anti-BJP people! AG thumbs up!!!!!!!!"

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News Network
April 11,2020

Dubai, Apr 11: An Indian expat in the UAE is facing police action for allegedly insulting Islam on social media in response to a Facebook post on the coronavirus, according to a media report.

Rakesh B Kitturmath, who worked as a team leader at Emrill Services, an integrated facilities management (FM) headquartered in Dubai, was sacked on Thursday after his post sparked outrage on social media, the Gulf News reported.

“Kitturmath’s employment stands terminated with immediate effect. He will be handed over to Dubai Police. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards such hate crimes,” said Stuart Harrison, CEO of Emrill Services.

"As an organisation, we have worked hard over the years to embrace diversity and create a culture of inclusion, where every nationality, religion and background is welcomed and celebrated. We have a strict social media policy for our employees to ensure they respect our values, both inside and outside of work," the newspaper quoted Harrison as saying.

Harrison said they are trying to find out if Kitturmath was still in the UAE, according to the report.

“We have over 8,500 employees so this may take a while. That said, we have fired him. If he’s still in the country, he will be handed over to Dubai Police,” he said.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click  here

Originally from Ranebennuri, Karnataka, Kitturmath joins an ever-growing list of Indian ex-pats who have landed in trouble for alleged Islamophobic messages in recent days.

Earlier this week, Abu Dhabi resident Mitesh Udeshi was sacked for posting a cartoon mocking Islam on his Facebook page while a police complaint was filed against Sameer Bhandari of Future Vision Events & Weddings’ in Dubai after he asked a Muslim job seeker from India to go back to Pakistan.

The UAE outlaws all religious or racial discrimination under a legislation passed in 2015.

The anti-discrimination/anti-hatred law prohibits all acts “that stoke religious hatred and/or which insult religion through any form of expression, be it speech or the written word, books, pamphlets or via online media.”

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News Network
February 19,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 19: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Karnataka High Court, seeking a stay on Anand Singh functioning as Minister of Forests, Environment and Ecology contending that there are criminal cases filed against him by the Ministry.

"A stay be granted prohibiting Anand Singh from functioning as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology. Any other order that the Honourable Court may deem fit in the interest of justice and equity," the PIL prays.

The petition, filed by advocate Vijay Kumar, said that the Chief Minister has allocated the portfolio of the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology to Singh without considering the fact that there are several criminal faces filed against him by the Ministry.

It said that the allocation of the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology portfolio to Singh is in the conflict of interest.

"The holding of the post of Cabinet minister for the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology is against public interest and completely in conflict of interest as he has business for which the subject Ministry is the overseeing authority and further he will also have access to the case files which again is in conflict of interest," the PIL said.

PIL adds that "it is pertinent and absolutely necessary" to deny the incumbent from accessing files related to his cases and from taking any decisions which may provide him with pecuniary benefits through his businesses.

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News Network
April 25,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 25: Former Karnataka Health minister and senior Congress leader Dr H C Mahadevappa on Saturday urged the state government to chalk out a comprehensive plan to conduct tests among the vulnerable sections in the society to impede the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Speaking to media persons, Dr Mahadevappa, felt that only restricting people to remain indoors will not suffice to tackle the spread of the contagious disease he said that "There needs to step up testing the people especially belonging to the vulnerable sections of the society".

Maintaining that the COVID-19 disease, which has progressed itself as a pandemic, across the globe, former Health Minister said that "there is also a need to fight the menace with multiple dimension, as it has potential to cause damage not only the social life of the people but also their livelihood".

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