Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 will be passed in Parliament in coming days, says Amit Shah

The Supreme Court on Monday while hearing a petition against the stand of Karnataka High Court's view that shouting 'Jai Sriram' inside a mosque was not an offence, sought the stand of the State of Karnataka in the matter.

A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Sandeep Mehta was hearing the matter.

"Alright, they were shouting a particular religious slogan. How is that an offence?" Justice Mehta asked, as bench posted the matter for January 2025.

The bench asked if the accused persons had been identified. Kamat replied that CCT visuals had been collected and the police identified the accused persons, as recorded in the remand report. The bench asked if merely spotting the accused near the mosque would mean that they shouted the slogans.

"Are you able to identify the actual accused? What material you have brought?" the Court asked. Kamat clarified that he was only representing the complainant (caretaker of the mosque) and it is for the police to conduct the investigation and collect the evidence. The FIR need only give information about the offence and need not be an 'encyclopedia' containing all evidence, he added.

This comes after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court questioning the Karnataka High Court's order of September 13, 2024 which quashed an FIR lodged against two men for raising the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan within mosque premises.

The high court's single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna had said, "It is ununderstandable as to how if someone shouts 'Jai Shri Ram' it would outrage the religious feeling of any class, when the complainant himself states that Hindu - Muslims are living in harmony in the area".

Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Manoj Kumar issued a stern directive to GAIL Gas Limited, instructing them to immediately restore roads damaged during their ongoing gas pipeline project.

The issue, which has left motorists and residents frustrated, dominated discussions at a special meeting chaired by the mayor on Monday. Corporators unanimously criticized the delay in road restoration, with Opposition Leader Anil Kumar warning that the project should be halted if the roads remain neglected.

Corporator Naveen D’Souza pointed out that permissions granted for the pipeline project were limited to two years, yet the roadwork disruption has dragged on for over five years. He demanded criminal charges and penalties against responsible officials for the prolonged inconvenience.

Adding to the outcry, Corporator Sangeetha Nayak called for MCC engineers to inspect the affected areas, while Corporator Varun Chowta flagged a severe lack of coordination between MCC, GAIL, and Jalasiri 24x7 officials.

The mayor directed GAIL Gas Limited to submit a report within two days addressing the complaints raised. He also insisted on a detailed update on the project’s implementation to be presented at the next review meeting, aiming for a resolution to the ongoing chaos.

Bengaluru: Karnataka has declared a holiday for state government offices, schools and colleges on Wednesday, December 11, in the wake of a state funeral for former chief minister S M Krishna, who passed away in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The last rites of Krishna, 92, will be held at his native village of Somanahalli in Mandya's Maddur taluk.

A government order stated that the holiday would apply to private aided educational institutions too.

Besides, the government has declared three days of mourning (December 10-12), during which no public entertainment programmes would take place, while the national flag would fly at half-mast.

S M Krishna passed away at his residence on December 10, 2024. The 92-year-old veteran politician was ailing for quite some time, a family source said.

A charismatic leader with a modern outlook, he not only laid a strong foundation for the growth of IT and BT industries in Karnataka but also managed to get them onboard with the government to build “Brand Bengaluru” at the international level.

He held several prominent positions throughout his career as External Affairs Minister, Maharashtra Governor, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Minister in the Karnataka government.

Although known for his tech savviness, flamboyancy, style and the Western outlook, the Congressman-turned-BJP senior leader was a hardcore Bengalorean who loved the city’s trees and flowers. SMK also had a love for tennis. Even when he was Chief Minister, he would visit the tennis court to play the game two to three times a week.