Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Shobha Karandlaje booked for promoting enmity between Karnataka, TN, and more

The Madurai City Police have registered a case against Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, on charges of promoting enmity between different groups of people on the grounds of language. 

Ms. Karandlaje reportedly said that “people from Tamil Nadu, who come to Karnataka, get trained in Tamil Nadu and plant bombs in Karnataka.” T.N. CM M.K. Stalin had strongly condemned the Minister ‘reckless’ statement. The Minister later apologised for her statement.

A team of officials tasked with enforcement of the model code of conduct visited the residence of Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Minister of Women and Child Welfare, following reports that she was holding a campaign meeting with ASHA and anganwadi workers on March 20.

There is speculation that her son Mrinal will be the Congress candidate for the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat. Officials took pictures and videos of the gathering. They said a report would be sent to the Election Commission. The Minister, however, denied the allegation.

Following the guidelines of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions of Higher Education, the Karnataka government has withdrawn the criteria of a minimum number of students from a minority community at an education institution to get the tag of Religious Minority Institution. According to a copy of the order, this decision was necessary due to a decline in enrollment of minority students at these ‘religious minority institutions’. 

The Department of School Education and Literacy had a criteria that at least 25% of the students in these institutions had to be from the minority community that is running the institution. This was even higher — 50% — for Technical Education, Higher Education, and Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department institutions. Now, these condition have been removed.

Amidst reports of Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) personnel carrying out a combing operation in the forest areas of Kodagu and adjoining Dakshina Kannada district, Superintendent of Kodagu district police K. Ramarajan has confirmed the sighting of four armed individuals at Koojimale near Sampaje, on the border of the two districts.