Karnataka govt to wait for HC verdict on hijab, before taking further decision

News Network
February 9, 2022

Bengaluru, Feb 9: The Karnataka cabinet on Wednesday decided to wait for the High Court's verdict on the 'hijab' row, before taking any further decision on the matter, which has snowballed into a major controversy.

The Karnataka High Court resumed hearing on the petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in the college.

"We (at the cabinet) discussed the Hijab row, but as the High Court is hearing the matter, we felt it is not appropriate for the cabinet to take any further decisions on the issue today. It was decided to wait for the court's verdict before taking any decision," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.

Briefing the reporters about the cabinet decisions, he said as the matter is sub-judice, discussing it will not be appropriate, as material and merit of the case will get involved.

As protests for and against the hijab intensified in different parts of Karnataka and turned violent in some places, the government had declared a holiday to all high schools and colleges in the state for three days.

Last week, the government had issued an order to make uniforms prescribed by it or management of private institutions mandatory for its students at schools and pre-university colleges across the state.

Among the other decisions, the cabinet has okayed the Karnataka Stamp (Amendment) bill 2022, fixing a maximum of Rs 25 crore as the stamp fee on valuation and shareholding, during the merger or bifurcation of a company, which is on par with Maharashtra. As the stamp duty was high, several big companies during merger and bifurcation were avoiding registration in Karnataka, so it was decided to fix the fee, the Minister said.

The cabinet has also given consent to Bengaluru peripheral ring road project to be implemented at the earliest. Madhuswamy said, "Land acquisition for this was a major issue and the Supreme Court directed the government to resolve it, while also providing an opportunity for negotiation. The road will be 100 meters wide and it will be about 71 km."

The road will be constructed on a 50-year lease basis, so the contractor, who wins the tender, will have to acquire the land, develop the ring road, and can collect the toll, he said, adding that about Rs 5,000 crore will be land acquisition cost, the government will pay its share, he added.

Among the other decisions taken by the cabinet was approval for the revised estimate of Rs 16.28 crore for the constructions of mini Vidhana Soudha (to house government offices) at Kumta in Uttara Kannada district, also administrative approval for an estimate of Rs 560 crore, for the construction of Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalyana. The government has also given its nod for projects under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in various parts of the state and has mandated that the work should be completed in a time-bound manner.

Noting that under JJM, the government's effort is to provide functional household tap connections (FHTC) to all rural households, Madhuswamy said, "Wherever we have a water source and the water is readily available, we have taken it on a priority basis and have given approval. The approvals have been given under about Rs 9,200 crore programme for the state."

The cabinet has also approved a bill aimed at considering the Karnataka Civil Service, 2011 batch gazetted probationers' list (362 candidates) notified by the Karnataka Public Service Commission, as selected and to give them appointments.

The bill will be tabled in the assembly, the Minister said. The candidates, who made the selection list for Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ gazetted probationers’ posts, have been left in the lurch after the entire recruitment process faced allegations of corruption.

The cabinet also gave its assent to the Governor's address to the joint sitting of the state legislature scheduled for February 14. The Chief Minister will submit it to the Governor.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
November 22,2025

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The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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