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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Shettar welcomes HC order quashing govt move to withdraw riot-related cases
Belagavi: Former chief minister and Belagavi MP welcomed the Karnataka high court's decision to set aside the state government's order to withdraw 43 criminal cases including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing the media on Thursday, Shettar termed the high court's verdict a 'strong rebuke' to the Siddaramaiah-led government. "This is a big slap on the face of the government, which seems to have acted without following due legal process. Before making such a decision, it is essential to consult the legal department. It appears that proper procedure was not followed," he said. The senior BJP leader criticised the state government's decision to withdraw cases, alleging that the move was driven by appeasement politics. "Most of the accused in these cases are Muslims. If the govt keeps favouring them in criminal matters, how will lessons be learned? There must be consequences for unlawful actions," he said. Shettar also expressed concern over what he described as the weakening of law and order in Karnataka. "This kind of approach encourages fringe elements and erodes the public's fear of law. The rising incidents of rape and murder in the state are a reflection of that," he added.
Scroll.in
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: YouTuber agrees to drop parts of ANI video, US deported 1,080 Indian since January & more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. YouTuber Mohak Mangal told the Delhi High Court that he would remove portions in his video about Asian News International that were purportedly objectionable. His submission came after the court directed Mangal to take down some sections, observing that they contained defamatory language about the news agency. The judge said that the YouTuber should have put out his message in a more civilised manner. The court was hearing a defamation suit filed by ANI against Mangal for posting the allegedly defamatory video accusing the news agency of extortion and blackmail. The suit also listed comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, among others, as defendants for sharing Mangal's video on social media. Read on. One thousand and eighty Indians have been deported from the United States since January, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Sixty-two percent of them had come back on commercial flights, the ministry said. This came amid the tightening of immigration regulations under the Donald Trump administration, which took office in January. In some cases, the US government had used military aircraft to repatriate undocumented migrants. Read on. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the people living in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are a part of the Indian family and will return to India voluntarily. Most people in the region felt a 'deep connection' with India and only a few of them have been 'misled', Singh said. 'We have full faith that those of our brothers who are geographically and politically separated from us today will also return to the mainstream of India someday listening to their voice of soul,' Singh added. Read on. The Karnataka High Court set aside the state government's decision to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots. In October, the state had directed public prosecutors to file applications to withdraw the cases. The petitioner claimed that the cases are related to 'highly influential personalities' such as former ministers and MLAs, which indicated 'ulterior motives'. The state did not have the discretion to direct public prosecutors to withdraw cases, the petitioner had argued. Read on. A court in the United States blocked tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on imports into the country under a law that gives him extraordinary powers in emergency situations. The New York-based Court of International Trade said that the US Constitution gave Congress exclusive authority to regulate international commerce, and that the president's emergency powers did not override this. The court passed an injunction blocking all of Trump's tariff-related orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka High Court voids government order withdrawing 43 criminal cases, including Hubballi riots FIRs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Karnataka High Court on Thursday struck down a state government order that had instructed public prosecutors to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots The court's verdict came in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Girish Bharadwaj that challenged the order.A Bench comprising Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind allowed the PIL, declaring the government's directive invalid from the beginning."The government order is set aside. It shall be treated as non est from inception. Legal consequences will follow," the Court said while pronouncing its the judgment in what was his final sitting at the Karnataka High Court, Chief Justice Anjaria, who is slated for elevation to the Supreme Court , expressed gratitude to the legal fraternity."This is my last day on this dais. I thank all lawyers, court staff, and everyone who supported me. This is my final sitting, final pronouncement, and final order here," he said emotionally before announcing the Venkatesh Dalwai, representing the petitioner, argued that the State Government had exceeded its authority by directing prosecutors to file applications under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to withdraw emphasised that the decision to withdraw prosecutions lies solely with the public prosecutor, who must act independently and not at the behest of the Supreme Court rulings, Dalwai argued that prosecutors are not mere intermediaries for government decisions and must evaluate each case on further revealed that both the Law Department and the Prosecution and Government Litigation Department had advised against withdrawing the 43 cases-advice that was ignored by the Home Department , which issued the withdrawal order on October 15, cases selected for withdrawal involved serious offences including rioting, attempted murder, assault on police personnel, and destruction of public them were cases arising from the Hubballi riots, which was triggered by a social media allegedly vandalised a police station and hurled footwear at it during the petitioner also questioned the motivation behind the State's move, pointing out that the cases marked for withdrawal involved politically influential individuals-including former ministers, MLAs, and office-bearers of powerful organizations. The PIL alleged that the list had been selectively curated to serve political ends."Criminal cases registered across Karnataka between 2008 and 2023 were reviewed, and 43 were handpicked for withdrawal. Many of these involved prominent political figures and influential activists, raising serious doubts about the impartiality of the exercise," said the plea.
Scroll.in
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Karnataka High Court sets aside state's order to withdraw 43 criminal cases
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday set aside the state government's decision to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots, Bar and Bench reported. The ruling by a bench of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind came on a public interest litigation challenging the state government's order. In October, the state Cabinet had approved the withdrawal of the 43 criminal cases registered at several police stations from the prosecution process, The Hindu reported. The home department had also issued an order on October 15, directing public prosecutors to file an application for withdrawal of the cases under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Bar and Bench reported. The provision provides for prosecutors to withdraw cases at any stage before the judgement is delivered. Of the 43 cases, some were linked to the Hubballi riots cases, which involve allegations that a mob of Muslims threw slippers at a police station and destroyed property on the premises after a protest there escalated, according to Bar and Bench. The petitioner claimed that the 43 cases were of 'highly influential personalities such as former ministers, MLAs, presidents of influential organisations indicating ulterior motives', Bar and Bench reported. The court, which had earlier observed that a strong prima facie case had been made by the petitioner, allowed the plea on Thursday. Petitioner's argument The petitioner argued that the state government cannot direct public prosecutors to withdraw criminal cases. He said that Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure gives that discretion only to the prosecutor. The petitioner's counsel cited Supreme Court rulings to argue that public prosecutors are not meant to act as post offices for government orders and must exercise independent judgement. He also pointed out that the law department and the state's prosecution and government litigation department had advised against withdrawing the 43 cases, saying that they were not fit for withdrawal.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka HC scraps Siddaramaiah govt order to withdraw 43 criminal cases, says it's illegal
BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court on Thursday set aside the state government's order that directed prosecutors to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including one registered for the attack on a police station by a large group of people during the 2022 Hubballi riots. A bench of chief justice NV Anjaria and justice KV Aravind said the state government's order was 'illegal' and 'violated Section 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code' (CrPC) that empowers the public prosecutor to withdraw prosecution with the court's consent. 'GO (government order) is set aside. It is declared that the order shall stand non est from inception. Consequences in law will follow,' the high court said, allowing a public interest litigation filed by Girish Bharadwaj, a lawyer. The petition challenged the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government's October 15, 2024, order that required prosecutors to withdraw 43 cases registered between 2008 and 2023. The detailed order is yet to be released. During the hearings previously, the high court had indicated that the petition appeared to be prima facie justified since the state government had exceeded its authority to pass the government order when the department of prosecution and law have opined that the cases were not fit for withdrawal of prosecution. Advocate Venkatesh Dalwai, appearing for the petition, had argued before the division bench that the state government did not have a role in directing prosecutors to withdraw prosecution under Section 321 of CrPC . Dalwai said only the public prosecutor could decide whether a case should be withdrawn and that too, only with the court's consent. 'The prosecutor is not a post office for the executive,' Dalwai had argued. The petitioner alleged that the state government cherry-picked the cases to favour politically connected individuals. Some of these cases were registered against Kannada activists, farmer leaders, as well as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders such as former minister MC Sudhakar and senior leader CT Ravi. But the most controversial was the 2022 Hubballi riot case, in which a mob vandalised a police station on April 12, 2022, after a protest over a controversial social media post that showed a saffron flag hoisted atop a mosque. 139 people, including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Mohammed Arif were arrayed as accused in the case. At the time, senior BJP leader and Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who represents the Hubballi-Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency, described the Congress government's decision to withdraw the Hubballi riots case as 'height of appeasement'. 'Unfortunately, the Congress party here in Karnataka has reached the height of appeasement. They have withdrawn the case under the UAPA, when the matter is before the NIA court. In normal course as far as I know, the state cannot withdraw it but still they have withdrawn it. This is the height of appeasement,' Joshi said. Chief minister Siddaramaiah had then defended the cabinet decision to withdraw the cases, and argued that the cabinet had the powers. 'There is a cabinet subcommittee under home minister's leadership, as per their discretion, they have taken the decision and the cabinet has approved it,' he said on 11 October. The state government has not reacted to the court verdict yet.
