Supreme Court tells Karnataka to stop Devadasi ritual immediately

February 14, 2014

New Delhi, Feb 14: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed shock over the “proposed” dedication of hundreds of dalit girls as Devadasis at Davangere district on the eve of full moon day and directed Karnataka's chief secretary to take steps to stop it immediately.

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A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice P Sathasivam described the age-old practice as a “national shame” and issued orders to the state government after a Kerala-based NGO sought the court's intervention on an urgent basis through a PIL.

Advocate V K Biju, appearing for petitioner S L Foundation, referred to news reports indicating that hundreds of girls would be brought for the dedication ceremony on the full moon day of Magha month, February 14, for becoming Devadasis.

He said the ceremony was proposed to be held at Uttangi Durga temple on Uchungi Hill, Davangere district. A Devadasi, dedicated to temple services for the rest of her life, is often subjected to sexual exploitation.

The bench, also comprising Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, said, “We direct the chief secretary to ensure that no such incident takes place either during the night of 13th February, 2014, or in the early hours of 14th February, 2014.”

“Chief  Secretary, Bangalore, State of Karnataka, is directed to take all preventive measures in respect of a programme to be held on early hours of 14 th February, 2014, in Uttangi Mala Durga Temple at Harappanahalli Taluk of Davangere District, Karnataka, wherein dalit girl children will be dedicated as Devadasis,” the bench added.

While ordering the registry to communicate the court's order immediately to the chief secretary, the bench also issued notices to the Centre, National Commission for Women (NCW) and states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where the practice was contended to be still prevalent.

The petition said that though Karnataka and Maharashtra had passed separate legislations abolishing the ceremony, the practice still continued at several places as per the NCW report which claimed that 2.5 lakh dalit girls were dedicated to temples in Karnataka-Maharashtra border.

“Even though outlawed, the Devadasi system persists, forcing women into a life time of sexual exploitation,” it said, quoting news reports about another proposed ceremony to be held at Thimilapura temple at Halya near Hospet in north Karnataka.

The petitioner also sought immediate direction to the Centre and states to take steps to stop the practice and rehabilitate the victims.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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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
December 7,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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