K’taka HC gives state three weeks to reply in mandatory Kanada teaching case

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bengaluru, July 11 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court, on Friday, issued directions to the Congress-led government in the state, asking it to respond within three weeks regarding its order mandating the teaching of Kannada in CBSE and ICSE schools.

The order was passed by a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwar Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi while hearing a PIL filed by parents of the children studying in CBSE and ICSE schools across Karnataka.

The PIL challenges certain legislations enacted by the state government that make teaching of Kannada compulsory in schools.

The PIL, filed in 2023 by C. Somashekar and others, noted that the state government had not yet submitted its objections to the court.

Taking exception to this delay, the bench remarked that the Karnataka government had done nothing for last two years.

The court directed the state government to expedite its response and warned that it would consider granting relief to the petitioners if the state failed to comply.

The petition argues that the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015, and the Kannada Language Learning Rules, 2022, adversely impact both students and teachers.

It claims that the legislations infringe on students’ rights to choose their first, second and third languages, which could affect their academic performance and future employment opportunities.

According to the PIL, these rules are unconstitutional and legally inconsistent with existing state education laws.

The petitioners requested the court to stay the implementation of the laws, but the court declined to pass any interim orders until the state government files its objections.

The PIL clarified that the petitioners are not opposed to the teaching of Kannada in schools and hold the language’s rich heritage and literature in high regard.

However, it argues that the forced implementation of the policy would be detrimental to students and violates constitutional principles.

The petition, it emphasised, was filed not for personal gain but in the interest of the public — especially school children.

–IANS

mka/khz

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Rahul Gandhi’s tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary stokes BJP’s ire

Mumbai, Feb 19 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s post on X paying tribute to the Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his 395 birth anniversary sparked a major controversy.

BJP and Sambhaji Raje, the direct 13th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj have strongly criticised Rahul Gandhi questioning does someone pay tribute on his birth anniversary.

Rahul Gandhi in his post on X said, “On the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I pay my respectful obeisance to him and offer my humble tribute. With his courage and bravery, he inspired us to raise our voice with fearlessness and full dedication. His life will always be a source of inspiration for all of us.”

BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar slammed the Congress leader and threatened legal action against him.

“By paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary, Rahul Gandhi has insulted the entire Maharashtra and the countrymen. Rahul Gandhi is knowingly and unknowingly disrespecting the great men of Maharashtra and the country. This is his nature. He should withdraw this post. Otherwise, he may have to face legal action,” he warned.

BJP leader and Ports and Shipping Minister Nitesh Rane also slammed Rahul Gandhi over his post.

Former MP Sambhaji Raje also expressed his displeasure over Rahul Gandhi’s post. “Does anyone pay tribute on the birth anniversary?” he asked in his post on X.

The Prakash Ambedkar led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi also hit out at Rahul Gandhi. In its post on X, the Vachint Bahujan Aghadi said, “Rahul Gandhiji, you salute and not pay tribute on the birth anniversary. The words you have written are insulting. Apologise and learn the difference between salute and tribute.”

However, state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal hit back at the BJP asking it not to create any controversy.

State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said, “The BJP also used the word mentioned by Rahul Gandhi. Women atrocities are taking place every day, and unemployment is increasing but the BJP does not want to answer this. They are not talking about it. However, they are using a grammatical mistake to make fun of it.”

–IANS

sj/svn

Congress hails L-G’s nod to ED for prosecuting Kejriwal

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devender Yadav said on Saturday that Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s nod to the ED to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal is a big setback for the former Chief Minister who is busy misleading voters with his “clean image” ahead of Assembly elections.

By making tall promises before elections, AAP Convenor Kejriwal is trying to fool voters and hide his tainted image, said Yadav.

Delhi Congress chief Yadav said that despite the Supreme Court granting Kejriwal bail with severe restrictions, he has been trying to project a “clean” image.

The DPCC chief also scoffed at the demand by former deputy CM Manish Sisodia that if the ED had got the LG’s permission to prosecute Kejriwal, then why the federal probe agency wasn’t showing a copy of the order?

Yadav said that when Kejriwal and his associates involved in the liquor scam face irrefutable evidence of their corrupt deeds, they blame everyone else, including the courts.

He also said that with the Delhi Assembly elections closing in, Kejriwal was getting desperate to influence the voters with various freebies, and his latest gimmick is the promise to help Dalit children get foreign education through the “Dr Ambedkar scholarship scheme”.

He said that Kejriwal, who came to power invoking the name of Dalits and contested the elections on the “jhaadu” symbol, had totally neglected the Dalits after getting their votes.

He said that Kejriwal’s “anti-Dalit” attitude was exposed as early as 2014 when the AAP government reduced the number of state scholarships for SC/ST/OBC students by more than 75,000.

The Delhi Congress chief said that Kejriwal’s stunt on “foreign education” scholarship was yet another misleading promise to attract voters of poor and backwards electorate.

He does not even acknowledge their existence in miserable living conditions in various slum clusters of the Capital, without even basic civic facilities.

Yadav said that Kejriwal had announced a number of freebies like Ladli Behna, free electricity and water, farm loan waivers, free ration, Delhi Mahila Samman Yojna and free laptops but none of these promises were fulfilled.

–IANS

rch/uk

Kolkata Police launch probe amid repeated pattern of robberies by inter-state gang

Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) Following similar cases of forgeries of the same nature within just two months, the sleuths of Kolkata Police have started investigating inter-state racket rackets where the gang-members are targeting and robbing city-based businessmen of money.

Sources aware of the development said the initial investigation has revealed that all these recent crimes, reportedly done by the members of the same gang, have connections with a Mumbai-based gang christened “Irani Gang” which is involved in similar forgeries.

The modus operandi of the crime is like this where the gang members posing as officials of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), or Income Tax department arrive at the residences or offices or shops of certain city-based businessmen, mainly medium-level traders, and after conducting a fake raid and search operations the gang-members leave robbing all the cash and valuables from the respective places.

These fraudsters have reportedly flashed fake identity cards of central agencies and even before leaving they got the signatures of the businessman or the trader concerned on fake seizure lists.

At times, even the trader or his representative, is stopped at the road while they were on their way to the bank from residence or office to deposit cash.

Thereafter, sources from the city police, the sequence of the event is the same where the said cash is robbed under the pretext of seizure and what all the victim is left with is a fake seizure list.

The latest event such event took place on March 27 night, when an employee of a jewellery shop based out of the city’s business hub Cotton Street, started from the shop carrying gold ornaments for delivery to a customer.

On the way, the employee was stopped by three unknown persons posing as CBI officers. Claiming that the employee was carrying ornaments prepared out of smuggled gold, the forgers seized (robbed) the entire ornament consignment worth over Rs 33 lakhs.

Similar incidents with the same modus operandi of crime had been reported from different other areas in Kolkata namely Jorasanko in North Kolkata, Hare Street in central Kolkata, and Bidhan-nagar in the northern outskirts of Kolkata during the last two months, which made the investigating official believe that member of a particular gang was involved in all these crime.

Given the crime the city police had issued an advisory for the common people. In case, such purported raid and search operations are being conducted at any residence or business establishment, the owner concerned should immediately inform either the local police station or even the control room of the city police headquarters about such development, so that the cops can verify whether the case is a genuine raid by genuine central agency officials.

In case the purported raid is attempted on the roads, the Kolkata Police have advised, first the persons being stopped should insist the raiding officials to come to the local police station and do the formalities there.

In case, the purported raiding officials deny going to the police station, then the person concerned should immediately call up the control room and inform the same.

–IANS

src/pgh