Raghupathy Bhat pleads innocence in Padmapriya 'suicide' case

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May 27, 2012

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Udupi, May 26: Udupi MLA Raghupathy Bhat exactly after 3 years 11 months and 15 days of the incident has come out before media to plead his innocence as he was suspected following the unnatural death of his wife Padmapriya.

“I have taken oath before Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy in the presence of my mother and kids telling that I am innocent in the case and whatever has happened, is without me playing any role in it. I am in no way connected to her death. The reports tell the death is due to suicide,” he said.

The Padmapriya missing case was registered on June 10, 2008. It was followed by dramatic twists and ended in her suspicious death raising several vague queries.

Speaking to media persons here on Friday, the MLA clarified that he has no role in the suspicious death of his wife Padmapriya. “I neither murdered her nor conspired for her murder,” he categorically stated and added that CoD has already finished the inquiry and has submitted the charge sheet before court.

The report holds Atul responsible for the death. The case is in the inquiry phase in Udupi's Sessions court. The case was handed over to CoD on July 16, 2009, he said.

Stating that he had to break his silence over the issue before media after a long gap as he was deeply hurt and his children were put in confusion, owing to opposition parties indulging in maligning his character by making him responsible for Padmapriya's death.

“It is totally untrue and opposition parties are doing it specially to ruin my political career. The attempt to defame me has gone deep especially during recent Lok Sabha elections. The tragedy has struck my family. I and my kids are trying hard to cope with the situation and the developments pointing me as the culprit,” he added.

Giving ample evidences including forensic report, post mortem report and death certificate to prove his innocence, the MLA said that he always maintained silence as he felt the issue was within family and that he did not want to come before public.

The Forensic report was made available on April 13, 2009. The post mortem was conducted by R K Sharma in Delhi who is an expert in handling complicated cases.

Moreover, the door of the Dwaraka apartment where Padmapriya committed suicide was opened in the presence of Delhi and Karnataka police as there was a need to maintain transparency in every act, he added.

Bhat said the trauma took place for the sake of trusting a beloved friend who stabbed at back.

The chargesheet filed by CoD against Atul contains no charges against him for abetting Padmapriya to commit suicide. So I appealed before High court to add the said charges against Atul in the chargesheet filed by CoD.

However, Atul has got the stay order in connection with the charges alleged against him following which the case is under trail in Udupi Sessions court, he added.

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Agencies
February 26,2020

New Delhi, Feb 26: The death toll in northeast Delhi communal violence over the amended citizenship law rose to 20 on Wednesday, according to GTB Hospital authorities.

On Tuesday, the death toll was 13.

"The death toll has risen to 20 today," Medical Superintendent of GTB Hospital, Sunil Kumar, told PTI.

Earlier, at least four bodies were brought to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, a senior official said.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 5,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 5: A veteran politician and former union minister has repeatedly tested positive for COVID-19 in the Dakshina Kannada.

The former minister, who resides in Bantwal taluk, is said to be asymptomatic.

His wife and children have also tested positive for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, one of the kin of the former minister said that he is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mangaluru. "He is asymptomatic and doing well," he said.

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News Network
August 2,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 2: Within a year of returning to power for the fourth time as Chief Minister in Karnataka, septuagenarian B.S. Yediyurappa has consolidated his position in the ruling BJP to stay the course till the next Assembly elections in mid-2023.

"A combination of factors helped Yediyurappa to consolidate and stay the course for the remaining term of his office to ensure the saffron party retains power in the state though he is unlikely to stake claim for the chief minister's post again as he would be 80 years old by 2023," a party source told news agency here.

Since the 77-year-old seasoned politician assumed office on July 26, 2019, the first year has been tumultuous for him, as he had go through a "trial by fire" what with the party's mighty high command and detractors testing his patience in the face of natural calamities like drought, floods and the Covid pandemic.

The first 7-8 months of the term were spent in tackling drought and floods, winning 12 of the 15 by-elections in December to secure a majority for the ruling party in the lower house and expanding the cabinet in February.

Even as Yediyurappa was settling down to seriously govern after presenting the state budget for fiscal 2020-21 in early March, the coronavirus outbreak overwhelmed him, as the pandemic spread and wreaked havoc, disrupting life, livelihood, economic growth and development.

"While the emphatic victory in the by-elections ensured the government's stability till the assembly term up to mid-2023, the second cabinet expansion on February 6 posed a challenge to Yediyurappa, as he could induct only 10 of the 12 MLAs who defected from the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and won the by-elections, triggering a revolt in the party by the loyalists left out of the ministry," the source recalled.

Though Yeddiyurappa has been leading the battle against the virus from day 1 and initially succeeded in controlling it from spreading during the extended lockdown till May 31, reopening the state under Unlock since June has undone the gains, as positive cases shot up to 1,29,287 so far, including 73,219 in Bengaluru after 53,648 recovered from across the state till date, while 2,412 succumbed to the deadly disease since March 9.

"For a state of 7 crore population, the data reveals that the pandemic has been fought on war-footing to contain it from spreading in all the 30 districts, although there are no signs of it going away till a vaccine is found. The chief minister has been trying to balance unlocking the state and containing the infection," a member of the health task force told IANS.

With six cabinet posts in the 34-member ministry being vacant, filling them will be a daunting task for Yediyurappa, as at least 20 legislators, including 5-6 newly elected turncoats and party's veterans are lobbying to become ministers at any cost.

By appointing 20 party legislators as heads of state-run board and corporations, nominating 5 as members of the state legislative council, including JD-S defector A.H. Vishwanath in July and getting 2 Congress defectors R. Shankar and M.T.B. Nagaraj elected as MLCs in June with 2 others, Yediyurappa ensured that these lawmakers would not be in the reckoning for the 6 cabinet posts, as dozen MLAs are already pitching for them.

Nagaraj and Vishwanath lost in the December 5 by-elections, while Shankar was not given a ticket to contest in the by-poll but was assured of making him an MLC with another disgruntled member C.P. Yogeshwar, who lost in the 2018 May assembly polls to JD-S leader and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the 14-month-old JD-S and Congress coalition government from May 23, 2018 to July 23, 2019.

Resignations of 17 rebels, including 14 from the Congress and 3 from the JD-S led to the fall of the coalition government, as Kumaraswamy lost the majority in the 225-member assembly on July 23, 2019 in their absence.

Though Yediyurappa led the party to win 105 seats in the 2018 assembly elections and formed a government on May 17, 2018, he resigned 3 days later on May 19, 2018, as he fell 8-9 seats short of the halfway mark (113) for a simple majority in the lower house.

In a post-poll alliance, the JD-S and the Congress formed the coalition government to keep the BJP out of power in May 2018, after the assembly elections gave split verdict and the Congress lost power then.

"The record victory of the ruling party in the May 2019 general elections, when 25 of its 27 contestants won out of 28 Lok Sabha seats from the state, reinforced the popular belief that Yediyurappa is the party's mascot in winning elections and an unquestionable leader of the politically dominant Lingayats in the state," the source pointed out.

When Yediyurappa left the BJP and floated a regional outfit (Karnataka Janata Party) in January 2013, he delivered a body blow to the BJP in the May 2013 state assembly polls, as the votes got split and was defeated by then Congress.

"Besides the party's high command, everyone in the party's state unit, including leaders and cadres are aware of Yediyurappa's popularity across the state, as has the wherewithal to connect with masses and win elections," the source added.

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