TV9 director, reporters must face trial over Shivakumar sting: SC

[email protected] (CD Network)
February 14, 2017

New Delhi, Feb 14: Expressing concern over the use of sting operations by television channels without involving law enforcement officers in their attempt to expose corrupt public servants, the Supreme Court of India has said that all sting operations have to be regulated.

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“One has to involve some police officers for trapping a public servant,” a bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and U U Lalit noted on Monday.

The court declined to quash the ruling of a Bengaluru court to frame charges against TV9 director Mahendra Mishra and two reporters. The three were ordered to face trial under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other penal provisions.

The reporters, posing as representatives of a London-based company, had tried to bribe Energy Minister D K Shivakumar so as to “expose” him. They were arrested in March 2014 after the minister got suspicious of their bona fides.

Senior advocate K V Viswanathan, representing the head of TV9, argued against a ruling given by the High Court of Karnataka on November 18, 2016. The high court had refused to set aside the order given by a Bengaluru court on July 26, 2016, to frame charges against the three.

The counsel submitted that it was an “aborted” sting operation and the reporters were merely doing their journalistic duty. He argued that Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act cannot be invoked in the instant case as the petitioners were not public servants and were only acting as agents provocateurs.

But the bench wasn’t impressed. “If somebody goes to a minister, tries to pay bribe and gets caught, then he has to prove his innocence in trial. If you are within your journalistic right, it has to be examined.”

The bench cited the R K Anand case in which the apex court had expressed the need for regulating sting operations. Though Viswanathan cited the case of Aniruddha Bahal, in which the apex court had upheld a Delhi High Court order against framing of charges against journalists for carrying out sting operations, the bench remained unmoved and directed the petitioners to face trial. It, however, allowed their plea that the trial court would not be influenced by some of the adverse remarks by the high court in its order.

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News Network
March 18,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 18: The rising temperature has become a growing concern for residents of coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, as the issue of drinking water shortage continues to worsen in several parts. 

Though the water supply of Mangaluru city has not been affected much, nearby urban local bodies, including Ullal, Kotekar, Bajpe and other parts on the outskirts of Mangaluru have been facing an acute shortage of drinking water.

Though the water level in the Thumbe vented dam across Nethravati River has started going down in the last few days, officials have ruled out possibility of rationing the water supply in the city.

According to officials, the water level at Thumbe dam of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) stood at 5.8 m as against the maximum storage capacity of 6m height on March 16. The water level at the dam during the same period last year was 5.3 metres. The water level reduced from 5.9 m on March 15 to 5.8 m on March 16 due to the scorching heat, causing evaporation.

The MCC has been drawing 160 MLD of water from the Thumbe vented dam. According to officials, without inflow, the maximum water stored in the dam will be sufficient for only 50 days. Meanwhile, the MCC has already started pumping backwater from downstream of the Thumbe vented dam back to the dam using pumpsets. Water from Thumbe dam can be drawn only if it has more than 1.5m of water in it.

DC Mullai Muhilan MP said that the district administration is closely monitoring water levels in all the dams that supply water.

The AMR dam located upstream of Thumbe dam has 18 m of water from sea level. If the water level in the Thumbe vented dam recedes, then water from the AMR dam will be released into the Thumbe dam. There is water in a dam at Biliyoor, which is located upstream of the AMR dam, the DC said.

“Drawing water for irrigation purposes from Thumbe and AMR dams has been banned,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that an order in this regard has already been issued. Some of the pockets in rural areas too have started facing water crisis.

“We have made arrangements to supply water through tankers in Ullal, Kotekar and Bajpe areas. We will not introduce water supply rationing in MCC limits for the time being,” he said and appealed to citizens to use water judiciously.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Congress will split in three months after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its impact will be visible on the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

"Due to internal squabbles, the state government will not last long," the BJP leader said.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the sitting MP from the Gadag-Haveri constituency, Shivakumar Udasi, has done a lot of development work and implemented the Central government's schemes effectively.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will surely become the PM for the third time. The overall response has been good in the Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

Asked if he was contesting the election in a half-hearted manner in the Gadag-Haveri seat, Bommai said "such a question does not arise when the party's high command gives instructions".

He said he would respect his opponent and not take anyone lightly. 

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News Network
March 17,2024

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Beltangady, Mar 17: A three-year-old boy was crushed to death under the wheels of an auto-rickshaw in front of his house at Panakaje Mundadi in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada. 

The gut-wrenching tragedy took place on Saturday, March 16 morning when the boy ran out of home to the road. 

The victim has been identified as Kaushik, the son of Chandrashekhar and Usha couple. Their home is situated adjacent to the main road at Panakaje.

It is learnt that the auto-rickshaw failed to notice the boy who suddenly darted towards the road and hit him. 

Even though the injured boy was rushed to a private hospital in Ujire and later to Mangaluru, he breathed his last. 

The Beltangady traffic police have registered a case in connection with the incident.

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