Show of strength at Lingayat community rally in Karnataka

News Network

February 19, 2021

Hubballi, Feb 19: Former Karnataka Minister, Mr PC Siddanagoudar said here that more than 1.5 lakh members of the Lingayat Panchamasali Community from the North Karnataka region will take part in the rally to be held in Bengaluru on February 21 to demand the 2A status of the reservation to the community.

Addressing media here today, Mr Siddanagoudar said that after the rally the community leaders will meet the Chief Minister, Mr BS Yediyurappa and Submit a memorandum demanding immediate inclusion of the Panchamasali’s of the Lingayat community under the 2A Group to make them eligible for reservation in Education and Employment.

Mr Neelakanta Asooti, General Secretary of the National Lingayat Panchamasali Trust and former Chairman of the Karnataka Milk Producers Federation, Dharwad said that the Panchamasali”s will take the fight for reservation to the logical end in the Gandhian way. He said that once flourishing, the members of the Panchamasali Group who are mainly Peasants have now become peasant workers and economically poor due to declining agricultural income because of increased cost in Fertilizers, Seeds, Floods and droughts resulting in continuous crop failures Etc.

Mr Asooti said that added to the problem is also the increased Division of Families reducing the amount of their land holdings and increasing Mechanisation in the field of agriculture creating lesser work. As a Result more and more peasant members of the community have become unemployed, He said and added that if the demands are not met, Qte we will not hesitate to go on fast unto death Unqte.

Mr Prabhanna Hunasikatti, President of the National Trust of the Lingayat Panchamasali Community said that community members from Dharwad, Bagalkot and Vijayapura will also join the Padayatra in Bengaluru. He claimed that several Political and Farmer leaders and many heads of Lingayat Mutts have extended their full support for the reservation.

Meanwhile, Mr Gurunatha Ullikashi, President Karnataka Samata Sena and Mr.Venkatesha Mestri, former Mayor, Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, speaking to newsmen on behalf of the 101 member federation of the Karnataka State Scheduled Cast Committee demanded here today that the percentage of the reservation for the Scheduled Cast communities be increased to 35 percent from the present 15 percent within a month. If not, the federation would launch a nationwide agitation, they said.

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HC refuses to quash probe against Mangaluru WhatsApp admin over offensive posts

News Network

February 1,2026

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash an investigation against a WhatsApp group administrator accused of allowing the circulation of obscene and offensive images depicting Hindutva politicians and idols in 2021.

Justice M Nagaprasanna observed that, prima facie, the ingredients of the offence under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code were made out. “The offence under Section 295A of the IPC is met to every word of its ingredient, albeit prima facie,” the judge said.

The petitioner, Sirajuddin, a resident of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, had challenged the FIR registered against him at the CEN (Cyber, Economics and Narcotics) police station, Mangaluru, for offences under Section 295A of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Section 295A relates to punishment for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens.

According to the complaint filed by K Jayaraj Salian, also a resident of Belthangady taluk, he received a WhatsApp group link from an unknown source and was added to the group after accessing it. The group reportedly had six administrators and around 250 participants, where obscene and offensive images depicting Hindu deities and certain political figures were allegedly circulated repeatedly.

Sirajuddin was arrested in connection with the case and later released on bail on February 16, 2021. He argued before the court that he was being selectively targeted, while other administrators—including the creator of the group—were neither arrested nor investigated. He also contended that the Magistrate could not have taken cognisance of the offence under Section 295A without prior sanction under Section 196(1) of the CrPC.

Rejecting the argument, Justice Nagaprasanna held that prior sanction is required only at the stage of taking cognisance, and not at the stage of registration of the crime or during investigation.

The judge noted that the State had produced the entire investigation material before the court. “A perusal of the material reveals depictions of Hindu deities in an extraordinarily obscene, demeaning and profane manner. The content is such that its reproduction in a judicial order would itself be inappropriate,” the court said, adding that the material, on its face, had the tendency to outrage religious feelings and disturb communal harmony.

Observing that the case was still at the investigation stage, the court said it could not interdict the probe at this juncture. However, it expressed concern that the investigating officer appeared to have not proceeded uniformly against all administrators. The court clarified that if the investigation revealed the active involvement of any member in permitting the circulation of such content, they must also be proceeded against.

“At this investigative stage, any further observation by this Court would be unnecessary,” the order concluded.

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