When top judges say democracy is at stake, media focus on Sunny Leone

coastaldigest.com news network
January 13, 2018

Within a day after four senior judges of Supreme Court broke their silence on alleged corruption in judiciary and warned that democracy in India is at stake, the mainstream media across India in general and poll-bound state of Karnataka in particular, have been successful in diverting the people’s attention by focusing on porn star-turned-Bollywood super star Sunny Leone.

India Today on Saturday morning broke the news of a couple of leaders of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a hardline Kannada outfit, demanding a huge amount to facilitate smooth functioning of an event of the sensational star on upcoming Valentine’s Day in Bengaluru where her New Year Eve show was cancelled due to security reasons.

Readymade breaking news?

The sensational story was based on a sting operation wherein leaders of two factions of KRV were caught on camera demanding money to make sure that no Kannadigas disrupt Sunny’s show.

In a video, Anjanappa, vice-president of Narayan Gowda-led KRV faction, can be seen stating that they have the power to close down the entire state. He even said that if they want Sunny Night to be held, they wanted Rs 30 lakh in advance and Rs 10 lakh after the programme. He also promised to be personally present there to monitor things.

Another video shows R Ranjith, vice-president of KRV faction led by Praveen Shetty, demanding Rs 30 lakh to provide protection from untoward situations and to allow Sunny's programme in Bengaluru. He even promised to arrange for 300 KRV members who would give protection to the entire programme. He demanded Rs 15 to 20 lakh in advance and the rest to be given soon after the programme.

However, none of the above two videos are fresh. The TV channel had reportedly obtained the videos a few days ago. The videos helped the channel to create a sensational braking news within 24 hours after the senior judges held a historic press meet and went public with complaints against the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

Though it was a special story by India Today, several other news channels including Times Now too gave wide coverage to the story and thus diverted the people’s attention from the grave allegations made by the senior judges.

On the other hand, Enforcement Directorate’s sudden raids against Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, served as another attention diverter for the media on Saturday.

Comments

Pulimunchi
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

So far people were going to judges seeking justice. Now judges have come to public for justice. This is quite expected when mass murders assume power.

Kannadiga
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

I agree that media is playing diversionary tactic. But one cannot ignore the extortion tactics of so called Kannada groups. Need to put an end to all such goondagiri in India.

Arif
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Now it's a need of the hour for Congress  to plan and make a strong  strategy team and protest nation wide against safronisation of courts.. Where is youth congress,  where is Rahul where is Congress Bade Bade Leaders? 

Madhu
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Rahul Kanwal is anchoring the Sunny Leone – KRV episode in Indian Today as if Donald Trump vacated his post to make Amit Shah the president of United States. All are #Presstitutues

Poor Indian
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

This is not the first time. Since Modi came to power Indian media doing the same. When CBI judge BH Loya, who was hearing a case against BJP president Amit Shah, was murdered, media was busy in debating about Padmavati! 

Anonymous
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Now 100% suiting the name - PRESSTITUTES

Danish
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

The diversion attention itself shows democracy is at stake

Kumar
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

People fed up by hearing corruption. So loosing inerest is nothing new. Sunny is the new trend

Unknown
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

No need of excessive influence of media. Sunny is a  weakness of many people

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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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coastaldigest.com news network
December 2,2025

karkala.jpg

Udupi, Dec 2: A wave of regional pride is sweeping through Udupi district as Shagun S Verma Hegde, a talented Class 9 student from Christ King English Medium High School, Karkala, has been named the captain of the Indian National Team for the Under-15 Girls’ Volleyball Championship.

Shagun holds the unique distinction of being the sole player from Karnataka selected to represent the country in the prestigious international tournament. The championship, organized by the School Games Federation, is scheduled to take place in Shangluo, China, from December 3 to 13, where Shagun will lead the national squad.

A Remarkable Journey to the Top

Shagun’s selection is a testament to her dedication and exceptional skill on the court. Her journey included several rigorous rounds of selection:

•    She was the only player from Udupi district to qualify for the state-level selection camp.

•    Out of eight players from Karnataka who advanced to the national selection camp in Pune, Maharashtra, Shagun was the only one to secure a place in the final national squad.

•    The national camp saw participation from approximately 200 players, which was shortlisted to 23. Shagun not only made the final cut but was also ranked as the second-best player overall, solidifying her leadership role.

Shagun, who is the daughter of Sandesh Verma and Shruthiraj of Kallotte, Karkala, has trained under experienced coaches Santosh D’Souza, Jeevan D’Silva, Jairaj Poojary, and Ramesh. Her selection as the team captain has brought profound honour to her family, school, the Udupi district, and the entire state of Karnataka.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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