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Bengaluru, May 21: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today slammed Law Minister JC Madhuswamy for yelling at a woman farmer in Kolar, an incident that attracted widespread criticism. 

The incident happened on Wednesday when Madhuswamy, who is also the minor irrigation minister, was inspecting the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley project, under which Bengaluru’s sewage is treated and pumped into lakes in Kolar. 

During his visit, farmer Nalini Gowda questioned Madhuswamy on the encroachment of the 1,022-acre S Agrahara lake. At one point, Madhuswamy lost his cool and yelled, “Aye! Shut your mouth, rascal,” and asked the police to take her away. Before this, Madhuswamy told her, “Make a request. I’m a very bad man. You can only air your grievance. Don’t command us.” 

A video of this exchange was aired by news channels. 

“What (Madhuswamy) said is not right. I have warned him. None can forgive such an explicit manner of talking with a woman. That, too, behaving like that being a minister doesn’t bode well. I will talk to that woman also and I’ll ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Yediyurappa told reporters.

The incident has come as a shot in the arm to the Opposition Congress, which is already attacking the Yediyurappa administration on the COVID-19 crisis. Condemning Madhuswamy’s behaviour, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah demanded an apology and asked Yediyurappa to sack him from the Cabinet. 

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said it was unbecoming of Madhuswamy to behave like that being a senior minister. “People will ask us questions and express their problems, naturally. What’s important is how we handle ourselves. Be it a woman or anyone, they come to us because we’re into public service. Calling them ‘rascal’ and things is not right. Maybe there was some irritation, but I agree with (Siddaramaiah) that he should be dropped from the Cabinet,” he said.

On his part, Madhuswamy said he felt intimidated. “If I have hurt the feelings of any woman, I will certainly apologise,” he said. “But citizens should realise, we go to their villages to ask about their problems. If they start abusing us publicly, how can we work? My secretary and I heard her for five minutes and then told her that we know our responsibility. We asked her to close the issue. She didn’t stop and I got tempted (sic),” the minister 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.

Mangaluru, May 15: Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police on Friday warned those who are opposing quarantine to either go for it or face legal action under Epidemic Diseases Act.

In a release here on Friday, Mr B M Laxmi Prasad said that schools and hostels have been identified for quarantining those who arrive from other states. Those, who return, will be quarantined in the respective Gram Panchayat/local bodies’ jurisdiction. The public should not panic over the quarantine facility.

The quarantine facility has been introduced in the interest of the general public. If anyone opposes or protests against such facility, then legal action will be initiated against them, he warned.