Here are the big stories from Karnataka today
The Hindu
Karnataka Today newsletter: State to introduce legislation to regulate hookah bars, and more
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar has stated that he is not opposed to the caste census. “I have not opposed caste census anywhere. I only want the caste census to be undertaken scientifically, and should be properly done,” he told mediapersons in Belagavi during the ongoing winter session on December 12.
His comments came after Congress president Mallikarjuna M. Kharge claimed, during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on December 11, that Mr. Shivakumar and the BJP are against the caste census in Karnataka.
The Karnataka government informed the Legislative Assembly on December 12 that it will come out with legislation to regulate hookah bars, which are mushrooming in Bengaluru.
Citing a court order, Home Minister G. Parameshwara pointed out that currently it was just enough for those operating food outlets to dedicate a separate enclosure for hookah bars, and there is no need to obtain an additional trade licence for a hookah bar. This had come in the way of either BBMP or police having control over these outlets, as both of them are not the authorities to issue any licence to such establishments, he said.
An unidentified man called the NIA control room claiming that a bomb has been planted in the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, on December 11. The call was made from a mobile phone, and the caller spoke in English.
The NIA control room immediately alerted their counterparts in the Bengaluru city police control room (112), who dispatched the bomb disposal squad (BDS) and sniffer dog squad. After a thorough search, the call was declared a hoax.
The narcotics wing of the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a 44-year-old Nigerian and seized 16 kg of MDMA and 500 gram of cocaine worth ₹21 crore, termed to be the biggest seizure so far. Police said the accused had come to the city on a business visa and rented a house in Ramamurthynagar for the last one year.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”