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Karnataka High Court upholds govt's decision to replace academy presidents

[email protected] (CD Network)
July 25, 2014

Mangalore, Jul 25: Karnataka High Court on Wednesday upheld the state government's decision to replace the chiefs of nearly 13 academies who had been appointed during BJP tenure.

Rahim Uchil 1

Former Presidents of Beary Academy's Rahim Uchil, Yakshayana Bayalata Academy Prof M L Samaga and Lalitha Kala Academy's Chi Su Krishna Shetty had moved to the High Court stating that the present government has sacked them from the posts without any valid reason.

“We welcome the decision. The court has upheld that the government has the right to terminate the tenures,” said B.A. Mohammad Haneef, whose appointment as president had been cancelled by the Department of Kannada and Culture on June 20 after the matter went to court.

Though the government can now start the appointment process afresh, he said he was “expecting” a reappointment for a period of three years.

Since the previous academy president, Rahim Uchil, was forced to step down in June 2013 with the change of government, the academy had to wait for more than nine months for a new head to be appointed by the Congress-led government. And, 112 days after the appointment of Mr. Haneef as president late in February, it was cancelled. With Mr. Uchil and former heads of the Lalitha Kala and Yakshagana Bayalata Academies going to the High Court over their removal, the government feared court reproach for the appointment of a “disputed” position, said sources.

What this has meant to the Academy is that its functions have been severely curtailed, said Registrar Umarabba, who runs the academy during the transition.

“To arrange any programme or allot funds, I will need to go to Bangalore for approval,” he said.

Before the appointment of the new president, the academy had unused funds amounting to Rs. 35 lakh. Even projects which had been started then, such as the compilation of a Beary-Kannada-English dictionary and the production of a Beary music CD, have been put on hold. “We had sanctioned a documentary on Beary culture. This has stalled after only one payment could be made,” said Mr. Umarabba.

Among the other projects that have been affected are the plans to host a Global Beary convention; quarterly publication Belkiri (Enlightenment in English), which has 800 subscribers, has not come out in over a year, said the Registrar.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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coastaldigest.com news network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has issued a high-alert warning to vehicle owners regarding a surge in cyber fraud targeting those looking to pay traffic violation fines. Fraudsters are reportedly exploiting recent government discount schemes on traffic penalties to deceive citizens.

The Scam: How Fraudsters Strike

Criminals are using SMS, WhatsApp, and social media to circulate suspicious links and APK files (Android application packages). They claim these apps allow users to pay e-challans at a discount.

•    Device Hacking: Downloading these unauthorized apps gives hackers full access to the victim's smartphone.

•    Financial Theft: Once the phone is compromised, fraudsters intercept OTPs and personal data to drain bank accounts.

•    Phishing Sites: Fake websites mimicking official portals are also being used to harvest banking credentials.

Already, two residents within Mangaluru city limits have reported significant financial losses after falling victim to these fraudulent apps.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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