Act against those calling for bandhs: Karnataka High Court

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has asked the state government to submit its response by Wednesday on a batch of PILs that accuse the state government of not taking any action against those repeatedly calling for bandhs despite the court banning bandhs.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice B M Shyam Prasad issued this direction on Tuesday after hearing a batch of petitions filed by software developer H N Ramesh, advocate Raghavendra and others.

Kannada Chalavali Vatal Party president Vatal Nagaraj had called for a bandh on April 12 over Cauvery water dispute but later withdrew the same on Monday after the matter was heard by the Supreme Court.
The apex court directed the Union government to file a draft scheme by May 3 as it does not want the controversy to continue before this Court.

The apex court also requested the senior counsel for the parties to convey to the competent authorities of the respective states to maintain peace at this juncture, so that this court can put the final stamp on the scheme after due deliberation. On February 2, the Karnataka High Court declared that bandh was unconstitutional.

Further proceedings against news website owner stayed

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed further proceedings in a criminal case registered by cyber police against Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the owner of postcard.news website. Justice Arvind Kumar stayed the proceedings till April 25, the next date of hearing, after hearing on the petition filed by Hegde who challenged the case registered against him.  The court also issued notice to state and the complainant
Gaffar Baig, a resident of Whitefield in city.  

HNS Rao shall not be disturbed, State tells High Court

Bengaluru: The state government on Tuesday gave an undertaking before the Karnataka High Court that it would not disturb the former prisons DGP HN Sathyanarayana Rao, who challenged the FIR registered against him by the ACB, till the next date of hearing. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act with regard to allegations that there was talk about D2 crore changing hands to provide special treatment to former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.