Vaghela reveals RSS-Indian Mujahideen-Qadiani nexus; Ahmadiyya leaders deny

Bengaluru, Mar 15: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar today sought the arrest of Praveen Sood, the state's Director General of Police. The Congress leader claimed that the DGP had been protecting the ruling BJP government and filing cases against leaders from his party.

"This DGP is nalayak (useless). Immediately, there should be a case against him. And he should be arrested. The election commission should remove him," Mr Shivakumar said.

"He has finished three years in service. How many days do you want to keep and worship him? He has been filing cases only against Congress. He has registered more than 25 cases against us," he added.

He said that Congress will take action against him if they come back to power. Elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly are set to be held before May 2023.

The Congress has set a target of winning at least 150 seats in the 224-member Assembly, to come to power in Karnataka, with a clear majority.

While JD(S) has already announced the first list of 93 candidates for Assembly polls, BJP and Congress are yet to announce their list.

Bengaluru, Mar 10: The Karnataka High Court has quashed the circular issued by the state government changing the method of assessment for class 5 and 8 students for the academic year 2022-23.

Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur said that the circular issued in this regard is not in consonance with section 38 (4) of the RTE Act which states that every rule or notification shall be placed before the state legislature as soon as possible.

The court also said that the order does not stop the state government from implementing the new method of assessment in accordance with the provisions under RTE Act. 

The petitioners had challenged the decision to conduct state level ‘board exams’ instead of school-level assessment. The petitions filed by the Organization for Unaided Recognized Schools, Registered Unaided Private Schools' Management Association and others had challenged the December 12, 2022 circular issued by the state government.

The petitioners claimed that the decision to change the assessment has come at a time when the students were preparing for their final examinations. They claimed the introduction of board exams would adversely affect the interest of both the students as well as the teachers.

Mangaluru, Mar 13: Senior BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa once again made a provocative remarks on using loudspeakers for Azaan which is likely to once again stoke a debate on it.

Eshwarappa, who was addressing a gathering during BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra held in Mangaluru’s Kavoor on Sunday, paused his speech on hearing azaan from a nearby mosque for a second but was quick in taking objection to the sound.

"In temples, girls and women offer prayers and bhajans. We are religious, but we don't use loudspeakers. If you have to call for prayers using loudspeakers, it means Allah is deaf," he said.

He further said Azaan gives him a headache and added that the Supreme Court's judgment is due, and this issue will come to an end one day.

The use of loudspeakers for Azaan has been a hot topic with many people complaining of disturbance. The Supreme Court had in July 2005 banned the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm to 6 am, except in the cases of public emergencies, citing health impacts of noise pollution.

Later, in October 2005, the court said loudspeakers could be permitted to be used till midnight on festive occasions for 15 days a year.

In May 2020, lyricist Javed Akhtar had asked Azaan on loudspeakers should be stopped as it causes discomfort to others. He also had stated that for 50 years Azaan on loudspeakers was Haraam in India for almost 50 years. It became Halaal thereafter, he added.