I have surrendered my son as I respect law,' says ex-mayor Ashraf

January 16, 2012

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Mangalore, January 16: “My son is innocent. He has been made a scapegoat by my political adversaries. Since I have enormous respect for law, I have asked him to surrender before the police. But I am hopeful that justice will prevail,” said K. Ashraf, former mayor, reacting to the 15-day judicial remand given to his son Araf in a drug-related case.

Araf, 17, has been named a key accused in the case of alleged drugging following which a teenaged girl was hospitalized for nearly two months in Mangalore six months ago.

In response to the complaints lodged by the girl's father Arjun, separate FIRs had been filed by Kadri and Kankanady police. Araf and his friends were also accused of threatening the girl and her parents while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Araf had evaded arrest and was said to be staying in his relative's place in Mumbai. The police had even gone to Mumbai looking for him, but had to return empty handed.

“Although the police had filed booked cases against several people, only my son was being chased like a criminal,” Mr. Ashraf said, but insisted the justice will prevail. He also wondered how did the police book a case against his son of threatening the girl on the hospital premises, where there had not been any complaint from the concerned hospital.

“This is a clear case of vendetta. There are people both inside my party and outside, who want to finish me politically, they have foisted a case against my son. They cannot take me on politically,” Mr. Ashraf, who is also the president of the Congress City Block.

The former mayor had a couple of months ago threatened to resign from the party for leaving him in the lurch when he had been unnecessarily harassed by the police. But following assurances from the Congress leaders including Veerappa Moily and Oscar Fernandes he had backed out. In fact, he had convened a press meet to announce his resignation and called off the briefing at the last minute, without citing any reasons.

The Hindutva organisations had supported the cause of Arjun's daughter and had demanded action against the accused. They had also given memoranda to the city police several times and had accused them of yielding to political pressure when the “drug mafia was gaining strength”.

The outfits had also warned of Hindu girls being lured into drug abuse as part of “Love Jihad”, and being converted to Islam in places like Ponnani.

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News Network
September 20,2024

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today sought a report from the Karnataka High Court over controversial remarks made by Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda during a recent court hearing.

Justice Srishananda, while addressing a landlord-tenant dispute, referred to a Muslim-majority area in Bengaluru as "Pakistan" and made a misogynistic comment involving a woman lawyer. 

A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices S Khanna, B R Gavai, S Kant, and H Roy, expressed the need for establishing clear guidelines for constitutional court judges regarding their remarks in court. 

The Supreme Court bench said that when social media plays an active role in monitoring and amplifying courtroom proceedings, there is an urgency to ensure judicial commentary aligns with the decorum expected from courts of law.

"Our attention has been drawn to some comments made by Karnataka High Court judge Justice V Srishananda during the conduct of judicial proceedings. We have asked the AG and SG to assist us. We ask the registrar general of the High Court to submit a report to this court after seeking administrative directions from the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. This exercise may be carried out in 2 weeks," the top court directed.

Videos of Justice Srishanananda have gone viral on social media.

In one video, he refers to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as "Pakistan" and on another video he was seen making objectionable comments against a woman lawyer. In the second incident, Justice Srishanananda can be heard telling the woman lawyer that she seemed to know a lot about the "opposition party", so much so that she might be able to reveal the colour of their undergarments.

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September 20,2024

Udupi: A vigilant Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, Aparna K T, demonstrated remarkable presence of mind when she rescued a student who slipped while trying to board a moving train at Udupi Railway Station on Friday morning.

The incident occurred as passenger train number 06602 arrived at the station around 7:30 AM. The student, traveling from Mangaluru to Gokarna, had briefly alighted to purchase snacks. However, as the train began moving, she hurried back towards the carriage with the snacks in hand. In her rush, she lost her footing, slipping dangerously between the platform and the moving train.

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Woman constable Aparna K T was given a cash reward of Rs 5000.

 

Constable Aparna, who had been closely monitoring the passengers, immediately sprang into action. “I saw her running towards the train and alerted everyone by blowing my whistle. She slipped, and her legs were caught between the platform and the train. Without hesitation, I pulled her out with the help of others nearby,” she recalled.

Thanks to Aparna’s quick thinking and the swift response of the railway staff, the train was stopped in time. Railway personnel, including the guard and loco pilot, were immediately informed, and they acted promptly to halt the train using both flag signals and a walkie-talkie.

RPF Inspector Madhusoodhanan PV arrived at the scene shortly after to check on the passenger's condition. The shaken but uninjured student was given water and helped back onto the train to safely continue her journey.

In an added measure of care, the RPF post at Bhatkal was notified to follow up on the passenger’s well-being during her journey. The student, fortunately, reached her destination without further incident.

The heroic rescue was captured on CCTV and has since gone viral on social media, earning widespread praise. In recognition of her bravery, Regional Railway Manager (RRM) Karwar awarded Constable Aparna a cash reward of ₹5,000, commending her quick action that averted a potentially tragic accident.

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September 19,2024

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Ramanagara, Sep 19: A case of rape, sexual harassment and criminal intimidation has been registered against BJP MLA Munirathna and six others, police said on Thursday.

It was registered following the complaint of a 40-year-old woman who alleged that the incident took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station’s jurisdiction.

“We received a complaint on Wednesday night and based on it, we have registered case against seven people, including the BJP MLA under various sections for rape by public servant, sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, voyeurism, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, Information Technology Act, and others,” a senior police officer said.

The matter is being investigated, he said.

The fresh FIR against the BJP MLA, also a former Minister, comes days after he was arrested by the Bengaluru Police in connection with the two cases filed against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse, police said.

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